In a study of 43 patients with COVID-19 neurological symptoms from the National Hospital (London, England), seven patients (aged 20–63, all male) were seen with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Onset of these symptoms occurred from 1 day before to 21 days after typical COVID-19 symptoms. All Guillain-Barré syndrome patients received IVIG as treatment. One patient developed a brachial plexopathy two weeks after typical COVID-19 symptoms and received corticosteroids as treatment. At the time of writing, all but two patients had started to make partial recovery.


Bowdoin College

Guillain-Barré syndrome has been reported with varying severity in nineteen COVID-19 patients so far. The presented symptoms, which typically occurred approx. one week after the onset of respiratory symptoms, were facial weakness, difficulty breathing, inability to stand or walk, and difficulty weaning off respiratory ventilators. Scientists are unsure whether Guillain-Barré syndrome stems directly from COVID-19, possibly as a result of molecular mimicry, or whether it results from unrelated neurological problems.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome in COVID-19 Patients.

Paterson, R. W., Brown, R. L., Benjamin, L., Nortley, R., Wiethoff, S., Bharucha, T.,... the UCL Queen Square National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery COVID-19 Study Group. (2020). The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, awaa240. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa240.

The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings

When myelin, axon, or neuro-muscular proteins cross-react with natural immunoglobulins that the body produces to fight off SARS-Cov2 antigens, the result is molecular mimicry and possibly GBS. 

Learn Before

Related