• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: COVID-19-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome in the early pandemic experience in Lombardia (Italy)
  • Contributor: Martinelli-Boneschi, Filippo; Colombo, Antonio; Bresolin, Nereo; Sessa, Maria; Bassi, Pietro; Grampa, Giampiero; Magni, Eugenio; Versino, Maurizio; Ferrarese, Carlo; Zarcone, Davide; Albanese, Alberto; Micieli, Giuseppe; Zanferrari, Carla; Cagnana, Antonio; Ferrante, Claudio; Zilioli, Angelo; Locatelli, Davide; Calloni, Maria Vittoria; Delodovici, Maria Luisa; Pozzato, Mattia; Patisso, Valerio; Bortolan, Francesco; Foresti, Camillo; Frigeni, Barbara; [...]
  • imprint: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023
  • Published in: Neurological Sciences
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10072-022-06429-6
  • ISSN: 1590-1874; 1590-3478
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Objective</jats:title> <jats:p>To estimate the incidence and describe clinical characteristics and outcome of GBS in COVID-19 patients (COVID19-GBS) in one of the most hit regions during the first pandemic wave, Lombardia.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>Adult patients admitted to 20 Neurological Units between 1/3–30/4/2020 with COVID19-GBS were included as part of a multi-center study organized by the Italian society of Hospital Neuroscience (SNO).</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>Thirty-eight COVID19-GBS patients had a mean age of 60.7 years and male frequency of 86.8%. CSF albuminocytological dissociation was detected in 71.4%, and PCR for <jats:italic>SARS-CoV-2</jats:italic> was negative in 19 tested patients. Based on neurophysiology, 81.8% of patients had a diagnosis of AIDP, 12.1% of AMSAN, and 6.1% of AMAN. The course was favorable in 76.3% of patients, stable in 10.5%, while 13.2% worsened, of which 3 died. The estimated occurrence rate in Lombardia ranges from 0.5 to 0.05 GBS cases per 1000 COVID-19 infections depending on whether you consider positive cases or estimated seropositive cases. When we compared GBS cases with the pre-pandemic period, we found a reduction of cases from 165 to 135 cases in the 2-month study period in Lombardia.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title> <jats:p>We detected an increased incidence of GBS in COVID-19 patients which can reflect a higher risk of GBS in COVID-19 patients and a reduction of GBS events during the pandemic period possibly due to a lower spread of more common respiratory infectious diseases determined by an increased use of preventive measures.</jats:p> </jats:sec>