Guillain-Barré Syndrome after COVID-19 Vaccine: Should We Assume a Causal Link?

Abstract

The virus SARS-CoV2 and the disease spectrum caused by it have led to a widespread impact on the medical and economic status of all nations of the world. This led to an expedited mission to introduce a vaccine which could attempt to neutralize the pandemic to some extent. Many vaccines have been introduced with an acceptable safety profile, producing only mild adverse effects of soreness at injection site, malaise, fever, diarrhoea, myalgia and uncommonly allergic/anaphylactic reactions and possibility of getting infected with SARS-CoV2. Some isolated reports have also emerged of serious thromboembolic phenomena and neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). A similar incident was noticed at our institute, where a 71 year old male recipient of COVID-19 vaccine at an immunization centre, presented to us with features of GBS. We hereby report this case, not establishing a direct link between the two, but to raise awareness regarding the ongoing mass immunization world-wide.