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Acute Guillain-Barré polyradiculoneuritis indicative of COVID-19 infection: a case report
Hugues Ghislain Atakla1, Mahugnon Maurel Ulrich Dénis Noudohounsi2, Hélène Sacca3,4
1Neurology Department, Ignace Deen University Hospital Center, Conakry, Guinea.
Insights
This case study highlights a Guillain-Barré type (GBS) polyradiculoneuritis linked to COVID-19 infection. Patients with both conditions face doubled respiratory distress risk, necessitating vigilant neuro-intensive care monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to widespread health concerns.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system.
Observation:
- A case report details a 41-year-old patient presenting with acute, ascending tetraparesis, suggestive of GBS.
- The patient had recent influenza-like and digestive symptoms, preceding the neurological presentation.
Findings:
- COVID-19 infection can trigger immune-mediated processes, similar to GBS pathogenesis.
- The management of GBS in COVID-19 positive patients is consistent with standard GBS care.
- Concurrent COVID-19 and GBS significantly increases the risk of respiratory distress.
Implications:
- Neuro-intensive care monitoring is crucial for COVID-19 patients with GBS.
- Early detection and management of respiratory and hemodynamic complications are vital.
- This case underscores the neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Abstract:
The new coronavirus 2019 epidemic declared in China on December 31, 2019 soon spread to the rest of the world, becoming the subject of an unprecedented health pandemic according to the World Health Organization's declaration of March 11, 2020. It is a disease that has the potential to cause multiple systemic infections. We report here the case of an acute polyradiculoneuritis of the Guillain-Barré type (GBS) indicative of a COVID-19 infection. This is a 41 year old patient seen for ascending, symmetrical and bilateral, progressive and acute tetraparesis with in a context of influenza syndrome and digestive infections treated 2 weeks earlier. During a COVID-19 infection, certain inflammatory cells stimulated by the virus produce inflammatory cytokines creating immune-mediated processes. The same mechanism is observed in GBS being also an immune-mediated disorder. The management of this disease in COVID-19 positive patients does not differ from that of patients who do not carry the virus. The risk of respiratory distress in COVID-19 positive patients becomes twice as great in patients with GBS who test positive for COVID-19 at the same time. Monitoring for hemodynamic disorders and respiratory distress in a neuro-intensive care unit may be fruitful.
