Disability evaluation in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome and SARS-CoV-2 infection, 2023, Sofía S. Sanchez-Boluarte et al

Highlights

– The AIDP neurophysiological pattern was the most frequent in patients with COVID-19.

– SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased disability at hospital discharge.

– The cases of GBS and COVID-19 had a higher level of proteins in CSF.

– The AIDP neurophysiological pattern was the most frequent in patients with COVID-19.

– SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased disability at hospital discharge.

– The cases of GBS and COVID-19 had a higher level of proteins in CSF.

Objective: Several cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been described. This study illustrated the demographic, clinical, and neurophysiological characteristics of patients with GBS and COVID-19, as well as associated factors with disability at discharge.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analytical observational study was conducted. It included patients diagnosed with GBS admitted in a national reference center in Peru between 2019 and 2021. Epidemiological, clinical, neurophysiological, and cerebrospinal fluid data were analyzed. A multivariate analysis, using the generalized linear model, was performed, considering the presence of disability at discharge as the dependent variable.

Results: Eight-one subjects diagnosed with GBS were included. The mean age was 46.8 years (SD: 15.2), with a predominance of males (61.73%). The most frequent clinical presentation was the classic sensory-motor form in 74 cases (91.36%) with AIDP (82.35%) as the most frequent neurophysiological pattern in the group with COVID-19, while AMAN pattern predominated (59.26%) in those without COVID-19 (p = <0.000). The disability prevalence ratio at discharge between subjects with COVID-19 and those without COVID-19 was 1.89 (CI 1.06–3.34), p = 0.030, adjusted for age, sex, and neurophysiological subtype.

Conclusion: The neurophysiologic subtype AIDP, and a higher disability were associated with the presence of COVID-19.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1191520/full