Is Guillain-Barre syndrome following chickenpox a parainfectious disease? A case report and literature review.
BMC Neurol
; 23(1): 133, 2023 Mar 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2291755
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Polyradiculoneuropathy following infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) is rare and most of the time, happens in the context of reactivation of latent VZV. We report a case of acute polyradiculoneuropathy following primary infection with VZV marked by atypical clinical features raising the hypothesis of a para-infectious disease. CASE PRESENTATION We describe a 43-years-old male who developed ataxia, dysphagia, dysphonia, and oculomotor disorders (vertical binocular diplopia and bilateral ptosis) followed by quadriplegia with areflexia which occurred 4 days later. The patient had a history of varicella that occurred 10 days before the onset of these symptoms. Nerve conduction study revealed features consistent with an acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN). Anti-ganglioside antibodies were negative. Based on clinical presentation and ancillary examination, we retain the Miller Fisher/Guillain-Barré overlap syndrome diagnosis. The patient was treated with high doses of methylprednisolone but the evolution of the disease was nevertheless marked by a complete recovery six weeks after onset of symptoms.CONCLUSION:
GBS following varicella is a rare but severe disease occurring most often in adults and marked by greater involvement of the cranial nerves. Its clinical features suggest that it is a para-infectious disease. Antiviral therapy has no effect on the course of the disease but its administration within the first 24 h after the onset of chickenpox in adults can prevent its occurrence.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Chickenpox
/
Communicable Diseases
/
Miller Fisher Syndrome
/
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Type of study:
Case report
/
Diagnostic study
/
Prognostic study
/
Reviews
Topics:
Long Covid
/
Variants
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
BMC Neurol
Journal subject:
Neurology
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12883-023-03185-8
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