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Multicenter Study
. 2023 Feb;44(2):437-446.
doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06429-6. Epub 2022 Oct 26.

COVID-19-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome in the early pandemic experience in Lombardia (Italy)

Filippo Martinelli-Boneschi  1   2 , Antonio Colombo  3 , Nereo Bresolin  4   5 , Maria Sessa  6 , Pietro Bassi  7 , Giampiero Grampa  8 , Eugenio Magni  9 , Maurizio Versino  10 , Carlo Ferrarese  11 , Davide Zarcone  12 , Alberto Albanese  13 , Giuseppe Micieli  14 , Carla Zanferrari  15 , Antonio Cagnana  16 , Claudio Ferrante  17 , Angelo Zilioli  18 , Davide Locatelli  19 , Maria Vittoria Calloni  20 , Maria Luisa Delodovici  10   21 , Mattia Pozzato  4   5 , Valerio Patisso  4   5 , Francesco Bortolan  22 , Camillo Foresti  6 , Barbara Frigeni  6 , Stefania Canella  7 , Rubjona Xhani  8 , Massimo Crabbio  9 , Alessandro Clemenzi  10 , Marco Mauri  10 , Simone Beretta  11 , Isidoro La Spina  12 , Simona Bernasconi  12 , Tiziana De Santis  13 , Anna Cavallini  14 , Michela Ranieri  15 , Elisabetta D'Adda  16 , Maria Elisa Fruguglietti  16 , Lorenzo Peverelli  18 , Edoardo Agosti  19 , Olivia Leoni  22 , Andrea Rigamonti  23 , Andrea Salmaggi  24
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

COVID-19-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome in the early pandemic experience in Lombardia (Italy)

Filippo Martinelli-Boneschi et al. Neurol Sci. 2023 Feb.

Erratum in

  • Correction to: COVID‑19‑associated Guillain‑Barré syndrome in the early pandemic experience in Lombardia (Italy).
    Martinelli-Boneschi F, Colombo A, Bresolin N, Sessa M, Bassi P, Grampa G, Magni E, Versino M, Ferrarese C, Zarcone D, Albanese A, Micieli G, Zanferrari C, Cagnana A, Ferrante C, Zilioli A, Locatelli D, Calloni MV, Delodovici ML, Pozzato M, Patisso V, Bortolan F, Foresti C, Frigeni B, Canella S, Xhani R, Crabbio M, Clemenzi A, Mauri M, Beretta S, La Spina I, Bernasconi S, De Santis T, Cavallini A, Ranieri M, D'Adda E, Fruguglietti ME, Peverelli L, Agosti E, Leoni O, Rigamonti A, Salmaggi A. Martinelli-Boneschi F, et al. Neurol Sci. 2023 Apr;44(4):1475-1476. doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06512-y. Neurol Sci. 2023. PMID: 36427103 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the incidence and describe clinical characteristics and outcome of GBS in COVID-19 patients (COVID19-GBS) in one of the most hit regions during the first pandemic wave, Lombardia.

Methods: Adult patients admitted to 20 Neurological Units between 1/3-30/4/2020 with COVID19-GBS were included as part of a multi-center study organized by the Italian society of Hospital Neuroscience (SNO).

Results: Thirty-eight COVID19-GBS patients had a mean age of 60.7 years and male frequency of 86.8%. CSF albuminocytological dissociation was detected in 71.4%, and PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was negative in 19 tested patients. Based on neurophysiology, 81.8% of patients had a diagnosis of AIDP, 12.1% of AMSAN, and 6.1% of AMAN. The course was favorable in 76.3% of patients, stable in 10.5%, while 13.2% worsened, of which 3 died. The estimated occurrence rate in Lombardia ranges from 0.5 to 0.05 GBS cases per 1000 COVID-19 infections depending on whether you consider positive cases or estimated seropositive cases. When we compared GBS cases with the pre-pandemic period, we found a reduction of cases from 165 to 135 cases in the 2-month study period in Lombardia.

Conclusions: We detected an increased incidence of GBS in COVID-19 patients which can reflect a higher risk of GBS in COVID-19 patients and a reduction of GBS events during the pandemic period possibly due to a lower spread of more common respiratory infectious diseases determined by an increased use of preventive measures.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus infections; Guillain-Barré syndrome; SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Age distribution in the cohort
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dismissal codes in 2-month period (March to April) of pre-pandemic period (2019) and pandemic period (2020 and 2021). In black total GBS cases, in gray GBS cases which occurred in COVID-19 positive patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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