Association between Guillain-Barré syndrome and COVID-19 infection: Experience of a Turkish neurophysiology laboratory

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the practice of neurology and other medical fields. The neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are remarkable. In this study, we investigated the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) caused by COVID-19 diagnosed between 1 September 2020 and 30 November 2020. This study included patients diagnosed with GBS clinically and electrophysiologically between September-November 2020 (pandemic period) and September-November 2019 (prepandemic period). Patients with GBS during the pandemic period, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 6 weeks before neuropathic symptoms developed, were included in the study. Pandemic period GBS patients were grouped as GBS associated with COVID-19 (n=13), and prepandemic period patients were grouped as GBS non-associated with COVID-19 (n=7). Demographic, clinical, electrophysiological and laboratory data of these two patient groups were compared. The most common symptoms were fever and cough (46.2%) in GBS associated with COVID-19 group and diarrhoea (71.4%) in GBS non-associated with COVID-19 group during active infection period. In the GBS associated with COVID-19 patients, lung involvement was apparent in 12 (92.3%) during active viral infection. A positive and significant correlation was observed in GBS associated with COVID-19 patients between comorbid factors and a need for ventilation support. GBS cases associated with COVID-19 may have a more severe course, especially if they have comorbidities. It is important to define the unique clinical, electrophysiological, and laboratory findings of such patients to optimise follow-up, treatment and management.