Is there a causal nexus between COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and Guillain-Barré syndrome?

Xiaoxiao Zheng; Yong Fang; Yanna Song; Shan Liu; Kangding Liu; Jie Zhu; Xiujuan Wu

doi:10.1186/s40001-023-01055-0

Is there a causal nexus between COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and Guillain-Barré syndrome?

Eur J Med Res. 2023 Feb 25;28(1):98. doi: 10.1186/s40001-023-01055-0.

Authors

Xiaoxiao Zheng¹, Yong Fang¹, Yanna Song², Shan Liu³, Kangding Liu¹, Jie Zhu^{4

5}, Xiujuan Wu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Xinmin Street 1#, Changchun, 130021, China.
² Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
³ The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Xinmin Street 1#, Changchun, 130021, China. jzhu@jlu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. jzhu@jlu.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Xinmin Street 1#, Changchun, 130021, China. wuxiujuan861003@jlu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy, which commonly leads to a very high level of neurological disability. Especially, after the global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the causation between GBS and SARS-CoV-2 infection and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination have aroused widespread concern. In the review, we analyzed the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination on GBS globally, aiming to further understand the characteristics of GBS associated with COVID-19. Based on the electrophysiological data, patients suffering from GBS related to COVID-19 manifested as an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP). Moreover, we summarized the current findings, which may evidence GBS linking to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, and discussed the underlying mechanisms whether and how the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 vaccination can induce GBS and its variants.

Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Guillain-Barré syndrome; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19* / complications
Guillain-Barre Syndrome* / complications
Humans
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines