Prevalence and Mortality of Pediatrics with Guillain-Barré Syndrome during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Pre-COVID-19 Periods
Iranian Journal of Child Neurology,
Vol. 18 No. 4 (2024),
29 September 2024
,
Page 71-79
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijcn.v18i4.43818
Abstract
Objectives
Based on case reports, researchers have observed the incidence and clinical manifestations of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following COVID-19 infection. Current hypotheses suggest that the risk of GBS may increase with COVID-19, and worsening GBS could elevate the risk of infection and exposure to the virus. This study aimed to assess the cognitive epidemic and mortality of children under 15 years of age with GBS during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare them to two years earlier without addressing the etiology.
Materials & Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted on all children admitted to Iranian hospitals with a diagnosis of GBS and whose clinical information was available in the national flaccid paralysis patient information registration system between April 2018 and April 2021.
Results
The total number of registered cases of GBS in the pre-COVID-19 period and during this period was 778 cases and 504 cases, respectively (total N=1282), indicating a decrease in registered GBS during COVID-19. The mean age of the patients in the pre-COVID-19 period was 9.00 ± 2.78 years, and during the COVID-19, it was 8.99 ± 2.03 years (P-value =0.998). No significant difference was found in gender distribution between the two periods (P-value =0.427). The total number of paralysis cases studied after 60 days was 14.3% before the COVID-19 period and 17.3% during the pandemic (P-value =0.216). The mortality rate in patients with GBS was 0.13% in the pre-COVID-19 period and 0.19% in the COVID-19 period (P-value =0.757).
Conclusion
Despite the decline in the frequency of diagnosis and referrals of patients with GBS during the COVID-19 period, no difference was found in the demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of children with GBS in the pre-COVID-19 period and during this pandemic.
- COVID-19
- Child
- Pediatric
- Guillain-Barré syndrome,
How to Cite
References
Orlikowski D, Porcher R, Sivadon-Tardy V, et al. Guillain-barré syndrome following primary cytomegalovirus infection: a prospective cohort study. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52:837–44. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cir074
Counotte MJ, Meili KW, Taghavi K, Calvet G, Sejvar J, Low N. Zika virus infection as a cause of congenital brain abnormalities and Guillain-Barré syndrome: a living systematic review [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000Research. 2019;8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002203
Kim JE, Heo JH, Kim HO, et al. Neurological complications during treatment of middle east respiratory syndrome. J Clin Neurol. 2017;13:227–33. https://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2017.13.3.227
Zhao H, Shen D, Zhou H, Liu J, Chen S. Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection: causality or coincidence? Lancet Neurol. 2020;19:383–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30109-5
Pimentel V, Wallau Luchsinger V, Carvalho GL, Marinho Alcará A, Bianchini Esper N, Marinowic D, Zanirati G, Costa da Costa J. Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with COVID-19: A systematic review. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2023;28:100578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100578
Abbati G, Attaianese F, Rosati A, Indolfi G. Neurological Involvement in Children with COVID-19 and MIS-C: A Retrospective Study Conducted for More than Two Years in a Pediatric Hospital. Children (Basel). 2022 Nov 24;9:1809. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121809
Pourbakhtyaran E, Heidari M, Ghahvechi Akbari M. Childhood Guillain-Barre syndrome in the SARS-CoV-2 period: Is there any causative relation? Clin Case Rep. 2022 Dec 20;10:e6772. https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.6772
Garg D, Dhamija RK, Choudhary A. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Frequency, Clinical Spectrum and Outcomes of Pediatric Guillain-Barré Syndrome in India: A Multicentric Ambispective Cohort Study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. Jan-Feb 2022;25:60-67. https://doi.org/10.4103/aian.aian_392_21
Tabatabaii S A, Soltani P, Khanbabaee G, Sharma D, Valizadeh R, et al. SARS Coronavirus 2, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Children: A Review on Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnosis. Arch Pediatr Infect Dis. 2020;8: e104860. https://doi.org/10.5812/apid.104860
Besharat S, Alamda NM, Dadashzadeh N, Talaie R, Mousavi SS, Barzegar A, et al. Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients with COVID-19 Who Died in Modarres Hospital. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2020;8:144-9. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.5013
Rahimi MM, Jahantabi E, Lotfi B, Forouzesh M, Farshid S. Renal and liver injury following the treatment of COVID-19 by remdesivir. J Nephropathol. 2021;10: e10. https://doi.org/10.34172/jnp.2021.10
Dadashzadeh N, Farshid S, Nanbakhsh M, Rahimi MM. Acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVId-19 disease. Immunopathol Persa. 2020;6:e16. https://doi.org/10.34172/ipp.2020.16
Lotfi B, Farshid S, Dadashzadeh N , Valizadeh R, Rahimi M M. Is Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Associated with Renal Involvement? A Review of Century Infection. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2020;13:e102899. https://doi.org/10.5812/jjm.102899
López-Hernández JC, Pérez-Valdez EY, León-Manríquez E. Guillain-Barre syndrome during COVID-19 pandemic: experience from a referral healthcare center in Mexico. Rev Neurol. 2021 Nov 1;73(9):315-320. https://doi.org/10.33588/rn.7309.2021364
Sansone P, Gregorio Giaccari L, Aurilio C, Coppolino F, Esposito V, et al. Post-Infectious Guillain-Barré Syndrome Related to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review. Life (Basel). 2021 Feb 21;11(2):167. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11020167
- Abstract Viewed: 112 times