Evaluation and Comparison of Treatment Response and In-Hospital Prognosis of COVID-19-Related Guillain-Barre Syndrome with Non-COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused significant health and social impacts worldwide. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can lead to neurological symptoms, including Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). This study aimed to compare the clinical manifestations, electrophysiological characteristics, degree of disability, and treatment outcomes of GBS patients with COVID-19 (COVID-19-related GBS) with GBS patients without COVID-19. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional multicenter study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of GBS patients with a history of COVID-19. A total of 60 patients with GBS and a history of COVID-19 were included in the COVID-19 group, while 56 patients with GBS without COVID-19 were included in the control group. Demographic, clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic data were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The COVID-19 patients were older (56.2 +/- 16.8 vs 47.46 +/- 19.25; P = 0.01), and there was no sex difference between the 2 groups. The most frequent electrophysiological type was acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (55 and 41) in both groups. Although almost half of the patients in both groups were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), the group of COVID-19 patients required mechanical ventilation more (16.6 vs 0; P < 0.001). Also, the COVID-19 group had more length of ICU stay (P < 0.001). Although some electrophysiological differences were found (acute motor axonal neuropathy was more frequent in the non-COVID-19 group), The analysis did not show any difference in the response to treatment scores based on Phenotype, type of treatment, or electrophysiological pattern between the 2 groups of patients. CONCLUSION: GBS in COVID-19 patients may have different manifestations and electrophysiological patterns, but the response to treatment and in-hospital prognosis were not different compared with GBS in non-COVID-19 patients.