Bilateral Facial Weakness with Distal Paresthesia Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Scoping Review for an Atypical Variant of Guillain–Barré Syndrome

Background and Purpose: Recent population-based studies from the US and UK have identified an increase in the occurrence of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. However, the localized variant of GBS might be underestimated due to its rarity and aty...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain sciences 2022-08, Vol.12 (8), p.1046
Main Authors: Kim, Yoo-Hwan, Kim, Jee-Eun, Yoon, Byeol-A, Kim, Jong-Kuk, Bae, Jong-Seok
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adverse effects
Antibodies
Ataxia
Bibliometrics
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines
Demyelination
Disease
Enrollments
Facial nerve
facial paralysis
Gangliosides
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome
Immunology
Infections
Inflammation
Influenza
Laboratories
Medical research
Neuropathy
Paresthesia
Population studies
Proteins
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Systematic review
Vaccination
Vectors (Biology)
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Summary:Background and Purpose: Recent population-based studies from the US and UK have identified an increase in the occurrence of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. However, the localized variant of GBS might be underestimated due to its rarity and atypical features. We aimed to identify and characterize bilateral facial weakness with distal paresthesia (BFWdp) as a GBS variant following COVID-19 vaccination. Materials and Methods: Relevant studies published during the COVID-19 pandemic were searched and identified in the MEDLINE, Embase, and other databases. Results: This review found that 18 BFWdp cases presented characteristics similar to previous BFWdp cases as defined in the literature: male dominance, frequent albuminocytological dissociation, and acute inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy pattern. In contrast, facial nerve enhancement on brain MRI and antiganglioside antibody positivity were often observed in BFWdp following COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: The mechanism of BFWdp following COVID-19 vaccination appears to be somewhat different from that of sporadic BFWdp. Neurological syndromes with rare incidence and difficulty in diagnosis should be considered adverse events of COVID-19 vaccination.
ISSN:2076-3425
2076-3425
DOI:10.3390/brainsci12081046