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. 2024 May 30;24(1):541.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09401-1.

Relative frequencies and clinical features of Guillain-Barré Syndrome before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in North China

Yaqian Li #  1   2 , Rongjuan Zhao #  1 , Ling Li  1 , Huiru Xue  1 , Huaxing Meng  1 , Guanxi Li  1   2 , Feng Liang  1   2 , Huiqiu Zhang  1   2 , Jing Ma  1   2 , Xiaomin Pang  1 , Juan Wang  1 , Xueli Chang  1 , Junhong Guo  1 , Wei Zhang  3
Affiliations

Relative frequencies and clinical features of Guillain-Barré Syndrome before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in North China

Yaqian Li et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Objective: Most studies investigated the relationship between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) by comparing the incidence of GBS before and during the pandemic of COVID-19. However, the findings were inconsistent, probably owing to varying degrees of the lockdown policy. The quarantine requirements and travel restrictions in China were lifted around December 7, 2022. This study aimed to explore whether the relative frequency of GBS increased during the major outbreak in the absence of COVID-19-mandated social restrictions in China.

Methods: GBS patients admitted to the First Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, from December 7, 2022 to February 20, 2023, and from June, 2017 to August, 2019 were included. The relative frequencies of GBS in hospitalized patients during different periods were compared. The patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection within six weeks prior to GBS onset formed the COVID-GBS group and non-COVID-GBS group, respectively.

Results: The relative frequency of GBS among hospitalized patients during the major outbreak of COVID-19 (13/14,408) was significantly higher than that before the COVID-19 epidemic (29/160,669, P < 0.001). More COVID-GBS patients (11/13) presented AIDP subtype than non-COVID-GBS cases (10/27, P = 0.003). The mean interval between onset of infective symptoms and GBS was longer in COVID-GBS (21.54 ± 11.56 days) than in non-COVID-GBS (5.76 ± 3.18 days, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: COVID-19 significantly increased the incidence of GBS. Most COVID-GBS patients fell into the category of AIDP, responded well to IVIg, and had a favorable prognosis.

Keywords: COVID-19; Characteristic; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Incidence; Prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The daily number of reported Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and positive rate of COVID-19 testing in Chinese mainland (a-b) and the weekly number of COVID-Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) cases in our hospital (c) during the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2022. The COVID-19 was diagnosed based on SARS-Cov-2 RNA detection (a) or SARS-CoV-2 antigen (b)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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