Neurology: Safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination against Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and multifocal motor neuropathy

The safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is of concern
.
Recently, a study published in Neurology sought to determine the risk
of GBS recurrence and exacerbation of CIDP or MMN after vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

A prospective multicenter cohort study
was conducted from January 2021 to August 2021.
Patients known to focus on immune-mediated neuropathy, one of the three medical centres of the Dutch University, as well as members of the Dutch Association of Patients with Neuromuscular Diseases, were included in the study
if they were aged 18 years or older and diagnosed with GBS, CIDP or MMN.

Participants completed a series of questionnaires at four different time points: study baseline (1), within 48 hours prior to any SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (2 and 3, if applicable), and 6 weeks after the last vaccination (4).

Participants who did not wish to be vaccinated completed the last questionnaire four months after study baseline (4).

Recurrence of GBS, worsening of symptoms associated with CIDP or MMN, change in treatment, and hospitalisation were
assessed.

Of the 1,152 people who sent the questionnaire, 674 (59%) signed the informed consent form
.
153 people were excluded, mostly because they had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 or were already infected (84%)
before study baseline.
Of the 521 participants included in the analysis, 403 (81%) completed the last questionnaire (time point 4).

162 participants with a history of GBS did not relapse
after vaccination.
Of the 188 participants with CIDP, 10 participants (5%) reported worsening of symptoms within six weeks of vaccination
.
Of these patients, 5 (3%) received maintenance therapy with modification.

Two of the 53 participants with MMN (4%) reported worsening of symptoms, and one participant reported treatment improvement
.

The study found no increased risk of GBS recurrence after vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and the risk of worsening of CIDP or MMN-related symptoms was low or even negligible
.
Based on the study's data, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 appears to be safe
for patients with these immune-mediated neurological diseases.

Sources: Baars AE, Kuitwaard K, de Koning LC, et al.
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Safety in Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and Multifocal Motor Neuropath [published online ahead of print, 2022 Sep 20].
Neurology.
2022; 10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201376.
doi:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201376