No association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome

Neuroscientists at UCL have found no significant association between COVID-19 and the potentially paralysing and sometimes fatal neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome. Researchers say the findings, published in the journal  Brain*,  along with a linked scientific commentary** by UCL and other international experts, should provide the public with reassurance, as the UK's national coronavirus vaccination programme is rolled out. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious autoimmune condition that attacks the peripheral nervous system, typically affecting the feet, hands and limbs, causing numbness, weakness and pain. While its exact cause is unknown, GBS often occurs after a gastroenteritis infection called  Camplylobacter , with the immune system mistakenly attacking nerves rather than germs. GBS is usually reversible, however in severe cases it can cause prolonged paralysis involving breathing muscles, require ventilator support and sometimes leave permanent neurological deficits. Early recognition by expert neurologists is key to proper treatment. Historical context of virusand vaccine-associated GBS More cases of GBS were associated with the Zika virus outbreaks in Latin America (2016 and 2020) than expected by chance alone; and concerns have been raised in GBS research reports that a similar link may potentially exist between COVID-19 infection and GBS too.