Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy following COVID-19 vaccination: screening at vaccination, a potential precaution

Abstract

Several vaccines have been developed and employed under emergency use authorization to keep COVID-19 in check. A safe administration of vaccination ruling out any underlying health conditions that may be a contraindication to vaccination is paramount to diminish various adverse effects secondary to vaccination. Presenting the case of a 34-year-old female with pre-existing, incompletely resolved lower respiratory tract infection when inoculated with the first dose of Covishield vaccine, 5 days after which she developed rapidly ascending weakness of lower limbs causing respiratory failure. A provisional diagnosis of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy, Guillain Barre Syndrome variant was established based on clinical presentation, physical examination, and response to intravenous Immunoglobulin therapy despite which she succumbed to the illness.Guillain Barre Syndrome may spike during outbreaks of infectious illnesses that trigger the disease with clinical features of acute onset, rapid course, symmetry in symptoms and signs, in the absence of central nervous system involvement being necessary to support its diagnosis.These were all fulfilledin the present case. The case in point was not screened with a pre-vaccination checklist in noncompliance to the product warning with the COVID vaccine, and the nature of the resulting interaction is subject to further research.Adequately screen and optimize individuals for concurrent illness at inoculation to minimize adverse events. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination continue to outweigh the potential risks associated.