Karimi N, Boostani R, Fatehi F, Panahi A, Okhovat A A, Ziaadini B, et al . Guillain-Barre Syndrome and COVID-19 Vaccine: A Report of Nine Patients. BCN 2021; 12 (5) :703-710
URL:
http://bcn.iums.ac.ir/article-1-2223-en.html
Narges Karimi1 ,
Reza Boostani2 ,
Farzad Fatehi3 ,
Akram Panahi3 ,
Ali Asghar Okhovat3 ,
Bentolhoda Ziaadini4 ,
Keivan Basiri5 ,
Siamak Abdi3 ,
Farnaz Sinaei3 ,
Mojtaba Rezaei3 ,
Gholamreza Shamsaei6 ,
Behnaz Ansari5 ,
Shahriar Nafissi * 3
1- Immunogenetics Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
2- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
3- Department of Neurology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4- Department of Neurology, Kerman Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran.
5- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
6- Neurology Department, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract:
Introduction: Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy usually elicited by an upper respiratory tract infection. Several studies reported GBS associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. In this study, we described nine GBS patients following the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: In this study, nine patients were introduced from six referral centers for neuromuscular disorders in Iran between April 8 and June 20, 2021. Four patients received the Sputnik V, three patients received the Sinopharm, and two cases received the AstraZeneca vaccine. All patients were diagnosed with GBS evidenced by nerve conduction studies and/or cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
Results: The median age of the patients was 54.22 years (ranged 26-87 years), and seven patients were male. The patients were treated with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) or Plasma Exchange (PLEX). All patients were discharged with some improvements.
Conclusion: The link between the COVID-19 vaccine and GBS is not well understood. Given the prevalence of GBS over the population, this association may be coincidental; therefore, more studies are needed to investigate a causal relationship.
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● Guillain-Barre elicited by an infection of the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tract.
● Guillain-Barre Syndrome has been reported associated with post COVID-19 infection.
● Recently, Guillain-Barre Syndrome has been reported accompanying with COVID-19 vaccines.
● Nine patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome have been revealed following COVID-19 vaccines in Iran.
Plain Language Summary
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan-China at the end of 2019, research studies to find medications for treatment and vaccines to prevent infection began. COVID-19 Vaccination became available after one year globally, and Vaccination was started in February 2021 in Iran. Vaccines may have various side effects in rare cases, including neurological disorders. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) strongly correlates with different infectious agents, including COVID-19. It has also been described after polio, hepatitis B, rabies, and influenza vaccines in 2 days to 6 weeks. Several studies have reported the association of GBS with the COVID-19 vaccine. Herein, we report nine cases of GBS after receiving the first dose of vector-based and inactivated COVID-19 vaccine 4-37 days after Vaccination. The link between the COVID-19 vaccine and GBS is not well understood, but possible mechanisms such as epitopes cross-reaction have been implicated. Although this does not establish a causal association, it requires all patients vaccinated for COVID-19 with neurological problems.
Type of Study:
Original |
Subject:
Clinical Neuroscience Received: 2021/07/11 | Accepted: 2021/09/4 | Published: 2021/09/1