Association of Guillain-Barre Syndrome With COVID-19: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

There is growing evidence of neurological involvement in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), suggesting that Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) can also occur with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a neurological complication. Herein, we describe a unique case of a 45-year-old male who manifested with sudden onset progressive symmetric ascending paralysis leading to quadriplegia one week after developing fever, cough, and dyspnea. On examination, he had areflexia in lower limbs and hyporeflexia in upper limbs. Hypoesthesia to fine touch and vibration distal to calf was noted. His reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was positive for COVID-19, and his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed albumin-cytologic dissociation. The diagnosis of GBS was made based on clinical presentation and neurophysiological studies due to COVID-19. He was commenced on intravenous immunoglobulin, and improvement in his condition was observed. He was discharged to a rehabilitation center for regular physical therapy.