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. 2022 May 15:366:577842.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577842. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

The challenge of diagnosing Guillain-Barre syndrome in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit

Pablo Diaz  1 , Marie Leveque  1 , Geoffroy Hautecloque  2 , François Sellal  2 , Olivier Augereau  3 , Livinia Lita  2 , Estelle Biegle  4 , Lounis Belilita  1 , Charles Bouterra  1 , Pierre Rerat  1 , Antonio Alvarez-Gonzalez  1 , Martin Martinot  5 , Victor Gerber  6
Affiliations

The challenge of diagnosing Guillain-Barre syndrome in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit

Pablo Diaz et al. J Neuroimmunol. .

Abstract

Various neurological complications have been described in COVID-19 patients, especially Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). The underlying mechanisms on the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and GBS remain unclear, but several hypotheses have been proposed. It seems that post-SARS-CoV-2 GBS shares many characteristics with classic post-infectious GBS; however, it may occur in sedated and intubated patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory distress syndrome, which presents challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of GBS. In this study, we describe three cases of post-SARS-CoV-2 GBS that were hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Keywords: Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; COVID-19; Guillain–Barre syndrome; Intensive care unit; Miller Fischer syndrome; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Algorythm proposal for the management of a clinical suspicion of Guillain-Barre syndrome in SARS-CoV-2 patients under mechanical ventilation.
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