Guillain–Barré Syndrome Associated with COVID-19: Two Cases from a Public Hospital in Damascus, Syria

Abstract

Objective. To report two cases of COVID-19 complicated with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) from a public hospital in Damascus, Syria. Results. Two unvaccinated patients, 49-year-old and 34-year-old men, presented with a history of paresthesia followed by ascending symmetric weakness with absent tendon reflexes. They were diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using chest CT and RT-PCR. Clinical status and lumbar puncture (LP) findings were consistent with GBS. They were treated with plasma exchange (PE). However, the first patient developed hallucinations and later deteriorated. He passed away after the second session of PE, while the second patient had four sessions of plasma exchange and was later discharged for home rehabilitation. Conclusion. It is important to consider GBS in COVID-19 patients who present with acute ascending weakness or cranial nerves involvement. More studies are needed to evaluate correlation between COVID-19, GBS, and development of psychiatric disturbances besides investigating the discrepancy between lung parameters and respiratory failure.