Guillain-Barre Syndrome Followed by Covid-19 Infection, Vaccination and Other Precipitating Factors during the Pandemic

Vesna Martic; Esmer Fejzic; Milos Danilovic; Snezana Lazarevic; Sonja Rajic; Milovan Roganovic; Aleksanar Stojanov; Zita Jovin; Mladen Debeljevic; Ranko Raicevic

doi:10.4103/aian.aian_974_22

Guillain-Barre Syndrome Followed by Covid-19 Infection, Vaccination and Other Precipitating Factors during the Pandemic

Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2023 May-Jun;26(3):256-260. doi: 10.4103/aian.aian_974_22. Epub 2023 Apr 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Military Medical Academy, Clinic of Neurology, Belgrade, Serbia.
² Department of Neurology, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kragujevac, Serbia.
³ Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Neurology Clinic, Medical Faculty, University in Novi Sad, Montenegro, Serbia.
⁴ Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Clinic for Neurology, Podgorica, Montenegro, Serbia.
⁵ University Clinical Center Nis, Neurology Clinic, Nis, Serbia.

Abstract

Background and aims: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is usually triggered by an infection. Vaccination is mentioned as a possible trigger in a small number of GBS cases. The aim of this study was to notice GBS distinctness provoked by various triggers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material and methods: A total of 109 GBS patients were divided into three groups, respectively: COVID-19 infection associated (19 patients), COVID-19 vaccination associated (16 patients) and precipitated by some other factors (74 patients). We compared the clinical, neurophysiological and laboratory characteristics of these three groups.

Results: Neither were differences recorded in the age of the patients of these three groups at the time of illness, nor in the number of days from the precipitating factor to the onset of symptoms. There were no clinical differences between groups related to severity of the disease or patients' recovery. The only clinical difference was observed in relation to facial nerve bilateral affection because it was significantly higher in the post-vaccination group. According to neurophysiological findings, demyelinating form dominated in all three groups.

Conclusion: Clinical characteristics, electrophysiological findings and laboratory characteristics did not differ significantly in Guillain-Barre syndrome followed by COVID-19 infection, vaccination and other precipitating factors during the pandemic. The bilateral involvement of facial nerves was significantly higher in the post-vaccination group. Most of these cases had a mild form of the disorder-distal paresthesias GBS variant.

Keywords: Associated; COVID-19 pandemic; Guillain-Barré syndrome; infection; vaccination.