Currently available data regarding the potential association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barr é syndrome

This study forms part of the Unusual Manifestations of Covid-19 (UMC-19) project, a retrospective, case-controlled, emergency department-based, multicentre study investigating the potential relationship between COVID and 10 different entities that could be influenced by SARS-Cov-2 infection.3 Our study showed that GBS is rarely observed as a form of COVID-19 presentation ( ∼0.15‰ cases). Nevertheless, in comparison with non-COVID-19 patients coming to the emergency department, patients with COVID presented a significantly higher relative frequency of GBS [odds ratio (OR) = 6.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.18–12.5]. Two additional previous reports4,5 provide epidemiological data of the frequency of GBS during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare the frequency of GBS in non-COVID patients and/or during the pre-COVID-19 years. These two studies were performed in Italian cohorts and also support an increased number of GBS in patients with COVID-19.Table  1 summarizes the main data of the four studies reported at the time this letter was written.
Source: Brain - Category: Neurology Source Type: research