ArticleBrain : a journal of neurology2021
Epidemiological and cohort study finds no association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Article in Brain : a journal of neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 176 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
176 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 325 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guillain-Barré syndrome and SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis on a debated issue and evidence for the 'Italian factor'.European journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Peripheral nervous system involvement associated with COVID-19. A systematic review of literature.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Late neurological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection: New challenges for the neurologist.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Neurological and Head/Eyes/Ears/Nose/Throat Manifestations of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The Canadian journal of neurological sciences. Le journal canadien des sciences neurologiques · 2022Pooled it
- Guillain Barre Syndrome as a Complication of COVID-19: A Systematic Review.The Canadian journal of neurological sciences. Le journal canadien des sciences neurologiques · 2022Pooled it
- [Guideline S1: Long COVID: Diagnostics and treatment strategies].Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2021Guideline
- Prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of Guillain-Barré syndrome spectrum associated with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of neurology · 2021Pooled it
- Guillain Barré syndrome associated with COVID-19- lessons learned about its pathogenesis during the first year of the pandemic, a systematic review.Autoimmunity reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Proteomic analysis reveals divergent inflammatory mechanisms of COVID-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome.Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Article
- Dynamic Changes and Future Trend Forecasts in the Global Burden of Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Analysis of 204 Countries and Regions From 1990 to 2021, Including the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Observational
- Enhanced adenoviral reactivity in Guillain-Barré syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Post-COVID-19 surge in Guillain-Barré syndrome during the Omicron wave in China with clinical characteristics and potential immune-mediated pathways.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Clinical and Electrophysiological Characteristics of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Across Pre-Pandemic, Pandemic, and Post-Pandemic Periods: A Ten-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.Noro psikiyatri arsivi · 2026Article
- Autoimmune nodopathy with anti-NF186 antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case report.BMC neurology · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 vaccination coverage on global disability burden of Guillain-Barré syndrome.NPJ vaccines · 2025Article
- Guillain-Barré syndrome.BJA education · 2025Review
- Incidence and characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Taiwan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 12-year single-center experience.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2025Article
- Vitamin D Serum Levels and the Development of Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness: Insights from a COVID-19 Intensive Care Cohort.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after severe/critical COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccination.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
116 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
42 authors at 19 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have emerged during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This epidemiological and cohort study sought to investigate any causative association between COVID-19 infection and GBS. The epidemiology of GBS cases reported to the UK National Immunoglobulin Database was studied from 2016 to 2019 and compared to cases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were stratified by hospital trust and region, with numbers of reported cases per month. UK population data for COVID-19 infection were collated from UK public health bodies. In parallel, but separately, members of the British Peripheral Nerve Society prospectively reported incident cases of GBS during the pandemic at their hospitals to a central register. The clinical features, investigation findings and outcomes of COVID-19 (definite or probable) and non-COVID-19 associated GBS cases in this cohort were compared. The incidence of GBS treated in UK hospitals from 2016 to 2019 was 1.65-1.88 per 100 000 individuals per year. GBS incidence fell between March and May 2020 compared to the same months of 2016-19. GBS and COVID-19 incidences during the pandemic also varied between regions and did not correlate with one another (r = 0.06, 95% confidence interval: -0.56 to 0.63, P = 0.86). In the independent cohort study, 47 GBS cases were reported (COVID-19 status: 13 definite, 12 probable, 22 non-COVID-19). There were no significant differences in the pattern of weakness, time to nadir, neurophysiology, CSF findings or outcome between these groups. Intubation was more frequent in the COVID-19 affected cohort (7/13, 54% versus 5/22, 23% in COVID-19-negative) attributed to COVID-19 pulmonary involvement. Although it is not possible to entirely rule out the possibility of a link, this study finds no epidemiological or phenotypic clues of SARS-CoV-2 being causative of GBS. GBS incidence has fallen during the pandemic, which may be the influence of lockdown measures reducing transmission of GBS inducing pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni and respiratory viruses.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.