Abstract This multicenter study investigated the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) during China’s Omicron wave (December 2022–February 2023), and compared the number of GBS hospitalizations with the historical data for the same period from 2018 to 2022. A retrospective analysis was conducted at two tertiary hospitals, categorizing patients into COVID-GBS (case group) and Non-COVID-GBS (control group). During the Omicron wave, the number of GBS hospitalizations was 1.5 times higher compared to the period of 2018–2019 (99 cases vs. 66 cases). Poisson regression analysis confirmed a significant increase in GBS incidence during the Omicron wave (December 2022–February 2023) compared to the 2018–2019 baseline period, with an IRR of 1.541 (95% CI: 1.123–2.129, p = 0.0079). COVID-19-associated GBS patients were significantly older (54.04 vs. 42.06 years, p = 0.002) and exhibited higher rates of cranial nerve involvement ( p = 0.014), particularly bulbar involvement ( p = 0.009). Acute severity was greater in COVID-19-associated cases, evidenced by elevated ICU admissions, higher peak GBS disability scores ( p = 0.048), increased mechanical ventilation needs, and one fatality. The median latency from COVID-19 infection to neurological onset was 9.5 days (IQR: 8–14). Despite these acute differences, 6-month disability outcomes showed no significant divergence between groups, suggesting similar long-term prognoses. The surge in GBS incidence aligns with broader reports of elevated GBS rates during COVID-19 surges, though mechanistic links may involve immune-mediated pathways rather than direct viral causation.
Zhang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.