Guillain-Barré Syndrome Following the ChAdOx1-S/nCoV-19 Vaccine: A Case Report

Abstract

Serious neurological complications following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, have rarely been reported. Here, we report a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) that occurred within 2 weeks of receiving the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1-S/nCoV-19 vaccine. A 61-year-old man presented with weakness and hypesthesia of the legs 9 days after the first dose of the ChAdOx1-S vaccine. The patient progressed to respiratory failure and severe quadriparesis. Nerve conduction studies showed markedly reduced amplitudes of compound muscle action potentials and sensory nerve action potentials in both upper and lower extremities, without definitive evidence of demyelination. The patient was diagnosed with axonal GBS and received intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, with a poor response. This is a rare case of GBS after COVID-19 vaccination in Korea. Physicians should be aware of this rare but serious complication of the COVID-19 vaccine to effectively manage such a situation in clinical practice.