{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T19:14:22Z","timestamp":1792610062699,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,13]],"date-time":"2022-12-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670889600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Recent findings demonstrate that the transmigration of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to the nervous system implicates severe neurotropic pathologies, including the onset of the rare disease called Guillain\u2013Barr\u00e9 syndrome (GBS) which is characterized by immune-mediated polyneuropathy. This study aimed to identify the predisposing factors and the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced GBS. Materials and Methods: We have performed an analysis of 147 cases. A systematic review of the published research work was performed per the PRISMA statement to obtain individual participant data (IPD) for the meta-analysis. The search was conducted through PubMed, using the combined search terms \u201cGuillain\u2013Barr\u00e9 syndrome\u201d and \u201cCOVID-19\u201d. All case reports and series in the English language with accessed full text were included in the search. Results: A systematic database search led to the retrieval of 112 peer-reviewed articles published between 1 April 2020, and 8 February 2022. The articles comprised 16 case series and 96 case reports containing IPD for 147 patients. Our findings showed that 77.6% of all cases were 40 years or older. Males comprised most of the cases (65.3%; n = 96). The intensive care unit (ICU) admission was 44.9%, and the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) was 38.1%. The patients presented with hyporeflexia or areflexia (84.4%; n = 124), lower limb strength and sensation impairment (93.2%; n = 138), upper limb strength and sensation impairment (85.7; n = 126), and somatic sensation impairment (72.8%; n = 107). The patients presented with increased cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) protein levels (92%; n = 92) and the presence of CSF albuminocytological dissociation (83.5%; n = 71). The most common variant of GBS observed was acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP). We found that predisposing factors concomitant with COVID-19 and GBS were male gender and older age. Among the cases, patient mortality was 10.9%. Conclusions: A gap of knowledge exists regarding the complete spectrum of clinical characteristics of COVID-19-related GBS. Recent findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 triggers GBS, as it follows a similar para-infectious pattern as the other viral agents contributing to the onset of GBS.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina58121835","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,13]],"date-time":"2022-12-13T01:56:06Z","timestamp":1670896566000},"page":"1835","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Concomitant Guillain\u2013Barr\u00e9 Syndrome and COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis of Cases"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"58","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4044-0946","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Skylar A.","family":"Bentley","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA"},{"name":"Burnette Honors College, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5180-0409","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarfraz","family":"Ahmad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA"},{"name":"Advent Health Cancer Institute, Orlando, FL 32804, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5008-6944","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Firas H.","family":"Kobeissy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9797-3591","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hale Z.","family":"Toklu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1016\/j.virusres.2014.09.011","article-title":"Human Coronaviruses: Viral and Cellular Factors Involved in Neuroinvasiveness and Neuropathogenesis","volume":"194","author":"Desforges","year":"2014","journal-title":"Virus Res."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"141","article-title":"COVID-19 Neurotropism and Implications for Therapy","volume":"7","author":"Das","year":"2020","journal-title":"Neuroimmunol. 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