Autoimmune polyradiculopathy in SARS-CoV-2: A Narrative Review of Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Alvin Oliver Payus¹, Tan Hui Jan², Azliza Ibrahim³, Azman Ali Raymond⁴

¹Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia - ²Department of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Jalan Yaacob Latif, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - ³Department of neurology, Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia, Persiaran Mardi - UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia - ⁴Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sg Buloh Campus, 47000, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia

Introduction: Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is believed to emerged from an animal source and had been spreading rapidly among the humans. It has been declared as a global pandemic, with more than 14 million reported cases and more than six hundred thousand death worldwide to date. Recently, there are evidence that show it exhibits neurotropic properties and cause neurological diseases. Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is the most common reported neurological syndrome that occur in COVID-19 patients. This study attempts to determine the possibility of GBS in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Materials and methods: In this article, we review all scientific paper of early reporting on GBS that occur in COVID-19 patients from 1st January 2020 to 1st July 2020 to study the possible pathophysiological mechanism and the common clinical features. 

Results: SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with GBS in a more complex presentation.

Conclusion: This review aims to elucidate the involvement of autoimmune polyradiculopathy in SARS-CoV-2 infection and hopefully able to improve the management and prognosis of COVID-19.