scholarly journals Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID-19 Vaccine: Should We Assume a Causal Link?

Author(s):  
Santvana Kohli ◽  
Mudit Varshney ◽  
Sandeep Mangla ◽  
Binita Jaiswal ◽  
Priyanka H. Chhabra

The virus SARS-CoV2 and the disease spectrum caused by it have led to a widespread impact on the medical and economic status of all nations of the world. This led to an expedited mission to introduce a vaccine which could attempt to neutralize the pandemic to some extent. Many vaccines have been introduced with an acceptable safety profile, producing only mild adverse effects of soreness at injection site, malaise, fever, diarrhoea, myalgia and uncommonly allergic/anaphylactic reactions and possibility of getting infected with SARS-CoV2. Some isolated reports have also emerged of serious thromboembolic phenomena and neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). A similar incident was noticed at our institute, where a 71 year old male recipient of COVID-19 vaccine at an immunization centre, presented to us with features of GBS. We hereby report this case, not establishing a direct link between the two, but to raise awareness regarding the ongoing mass immunization world-wide.

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Jacques Counotte ◽  
Dianne Egli-Gany ◽  
Maurane Riesen ◽  
Million Abraha ◽  
Teegwendé Valérie Porgo ◽  
...  

Background. The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas has caused international concern due to neurological sequelae linked to the infection, such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The World Health Organization stated that there is “sufficient evidence to conclude that Zika virus is a cause of congenital abnormalities and is a trigger of GBS”. This conclusion was based on a systematic review of the evidence published until 30.05.2016. Since then, the body of evidence has grown substantially, leading to this update of that systematic review with new evidence published from 30.05.2016 – 18.01.2017, update 1. Methods. We review evidence on the causal link between ZIKV infection and adverse congenital outcomes and the causal link between ZIKV infection and GBS or immune-mediated thrombocytopaenia purpura. We also describe the transition of the review into a living systematic review, a review that is continually updated. Results. Between 30.05.2016 and 18.01.2017, we identified 2413 publications, of which 101 publications were included. The evidence added in this update confirms the conclusion of a causal association between ZIKV and adverse congenital outcomes. New findings expand the evidence base in the dimensions of biological plausibility, strength of association, animal experiments and specificity. For GBS, the body of evidence has grown during the search period for update 1, but only for dimensions that were already populated in the previous version. There is still a limited understanding of the biological pathways that potentially cause the occurrence of autoimmune disease following ZIKV infection. Conclusions. This systematic review confirms previous conclusions that ZIKV is a cause of congenital abnormalities, including microcephaly, and is a trigger of GBS. The transition to living systematic review techniques and methodology provides a proof of concept for the use of these methods to synthesise evidence about an emerging pathogen such as ZIKV.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. e228845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajid Hameed ◽  
Sara Khan

Chikungunya (CHIK) viral fever is a self-limiting illness that presents with severe debilitating arthralgia, myalgia, fever and rash. Neurological complications are rare. We present a case of a 36-year-old woman who presented with acute onset progressive difficulty swallowing and left arm weakness. She was diagnosed with CHIK viral fever 4 weeks prior to admission. After investigations, she was diagnosed with a pharyngeal–cervical–brachial variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome. In hospital, she required ventilator support. Her condition improved after five sessions of intravenous immunoglobulin with almost complete resolution within 6 months of symptom onset. With frequent CHIK outbreaks, the neurological complications are increasingly seen in the emergency department. The knowledge of these associations will result in early diagnosis and treatment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 36-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harmanjit Singh Hira ◽  
Amandeep Kaur ◽  
Anuj Shukla

ABSTRACT Background: Dengue infections may present with neurological complications. Whether these are due to neuromuscular disease or electrolyte imbalance is unclear. Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight patients of dengue fever required hospitalization during epidemic in year 2010. Twelve of them presented with acute neuromuscular weakness. We enrolled them for study. Diagnosis of dengue infection based on clinical profile of patients, positive serum IgM ELISA, NS1 antigen, and sero-typing. Complete hemogram, kidney and liver functions, serum electrolytes, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) were tested. In addition, two patients underwent nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test and electromyography. Results: Twelve patients were included in the present study. Their age was between 18 and 34 years. Fever, myalgia, and motor weakness of limbs were most common presenting symptoms. Motor weakness developed on 2 nd to 4 th day of illness in 11 of 12 patients. In one patient, it developed on 10 th day of illness. Ten of 12 showed hypokalemia. One was of Guillain-Barré syndrome and other suffered from myositis; they underwent NCV and electromyography. Serum CPK and SGOT raised in 8 out of 12 patients. CPK of patient of myositis was 5098 IU. All of 12 patients had thrombocytopenia. WBC was in normal range. Dengue virus was isolated in three patients, and it was of serotype 1. CSF was normal in all. Within 24 hours, those with hypokalemia recovered by potassium correction. Conclusions: It was concluded that the dengue virus infection led to acute neuromuscular weakness because of hypokalemia, myositis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. It was suggested to look for presence of hypokalemia in such patients.


Author(s):  
Geneviève Deceuninck ◽  
Renée-Myriam Boucher ◽  
Philippe De Wals ◽  
Manale Ouakki

Background:In the province of Quebec, a population-based study of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) was conducted at the time of a mass immunization campaign against meningococcal disease, in 2001.Methods:The study population included residents aged 2 months to 20 years observed from November 1st, 2000 to December 31, 2002, representing 4 075 465 person-years of observation. GBS cases were identified in the provincial hospital database Med-Echo and medical records were reviewed.Results:Thirty-three incident GBS cases were identified, including 27 cases of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy. The overall GBS incidence rate was 0.8/100 000 person-years, higher in persons aged 1 to 4 years (2.1/100 000) than in those 5 years or more (0.6/100 000). There was a female preponderance and no significant seasonal variation. All patients survived.Conclusion:Results could be used to interpret reports of adverse events associated with the introduction of new vaccines in this age-group in Canada.


Cureus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Waheed ◽  
Angel Bayas ◽  
Fawzi Hindi ◽  
Zufe Rizvi ◽  
Patricio S Espinosa

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (19) ◽  
pp. 836-840
Author(s):  
Stéphane Mathis ◽  
Antoine Soulages ◽  
Gwendal Le Masson ◽  
Jean-Michel Vallat

First reported by Guillain, Barré, and Strohl during the Great War, the concept of “Guillain-Barré syndrome” (GBS) progressively emerged as a clinical entity in its own right. Despite many debates about its clinical and pathophysiologic characteristics, GBS is now recognized as a disease throughout the world. We describe here the main steps of the rich history of GBS, from 1916 to the present.


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Masiêro Araujo ◽  
Maria Lucia Brito Ferreira ◽  
Osvaldo JM Nascimento

ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV) is now considered an emerging flavivirosis, with a first large outbreak registered in the Yap Islands in 2007. In 2013, a new outbreak was reported in the French Polynesia, with associated cases of neurological complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The incidence of GBS has increased in Brazil since 2015, what is speculated to be secondary to the ZIKV infection outbreak. The gold-standard test for detection of acute ZIKV infection is the polymerase-chain reaction technique, an essay largely unavailable in Brazil. The diagnosis of GBS is feasible even in resource-limited areas using the criteria proposed by the GBS Classification Group, which is based solely on clinical grounds. Further understanding on the relationship of ZIKV with neurological complications is a research urgency.


2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000944
Author(s):  
William K Diprose ◽  
Laura Bainbridge ◽  
Richard W Frith ◽  
Neil E Anderson

The neurological complications of COVID-19 and its treatment are still being elucidated.1,2 Guillain-Barré Syndrome has been reported in COVID-19 patients, but other peripheral nerve complications have not been described. We report a case of bilateral upper limb neuropathies in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia managed with prolonged prone ventilation.


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