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Case Reports
. 2023 Feb 17;85(3):466-469.
doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000000193. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Guillain-Barré syndrome following the second dose of COVID AstraZeneca vaccine in a 78-year-old male: a case report from Nepal

Bimarsh Acharya  1 , Sabin Kc  2 , Shailendra Karki  3 , Pratima Thapa  4 , Pooja Kc  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Guillain-Barré syndrome following the second dose of COVID AstraZeneca vaccine in a 78-year-old male: a case report from Nepal

Bimarsh Acharya et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare acute idiopathic demyelinating polyneuropathy that causes bilateral, symmetrical, and progressive weakness of muscles. AstraZeneca vaccine is a genetically modified spike glycoprotein vaccine of an adenovirus vector. GBS following the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine dose is rare and not frequently noted.

Case presentation: A 78-year-old male presented to the hospital with complaints of bilateral weakness of the lower limbs over 4 days following the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. On examination, the power and tone of the limbs were diminished. The sensitivity pinprick test revealed low sensitivity in the right lower limb than in the left lower limb. Nerve conduction studies revealed acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and the patient was diagnosed with GBS. After admission, the patient was successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulins along with physiotherapy.

Clinical discussion: GBS can be diagnosed clinically with nerve conduction studies and Brighton's criteria. The robust causal relationships between COVID-19 infections, COVID-19 vaccination, and GBS are still unclear. The evaluation of the potential association and risk of GBS with vaccines warrants the need for precise post-vaccination surveillance measures and results.

Conclusion: Only a few cases of GBS following the second dose of AstraZeneca are reported so far and there is a need for strong and accurate diagnosis of the disease and proper post-vaccination surveillance for the evaluation of risk associated with COVID vaccines.

Keywords: AstraZeneca; Guillain-Barré syndrome; case report; post-COVID-19 vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no any conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Motor nerve conduction (MNC).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sensory nerve conduction (SNC).
Figure 3
Figure 3
F wave.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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