The risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome increases in the weeks following infection with COVID-19. On the other hand, the risk decreases after receiving an RNA vaccine, according to a recent study.
The COVID-19 virus can leave traces in the body long after it has passed. Plus risk Long covid Or cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart attack, etc.), which is more serious for up to a year after the injury. A study showed that in the weeks following the illness, the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome is greater. But the good news is that this risk decreases after vaccination against Covid-19.
the Guillain-Barré syndrome It is still not understood. This autoimmune disease occurs as a result of an infection in the body, which can be contagious or respiratory. The immune system then attacks the nerve cells, starting with paralysis of the extremities (feet and hands), before progressing to the extremities. Although it can be fatal, most patients recover without major after-effects. This syndrome remains very rare, affecting about 20 people out of every million people each year.
6 times more dangerous against Guillain Barré
In this new work published in the magazine Neurology, 3 million people without a prior diagnosis of Guillain-Barré disease were followed from the beginning of January 2021 until the end of June 2022. Among them, 76 people developed this syndrome. By comparing this data with infection with SARS-CoV-2, the Covid-19 virus, they realized that infected people were six times more likely to develop Guillain-Barre than others. 12% of people with Guillain-Barre have just had COVID-19.
At the moment, it is impossible to officially prove the relationship between Covid and Guillain-Barre. But Covid is a respiratory disease, infection with which can lead to an outbreak of Guillain-Barre disease. “This association is explained by a phenomenon called molecular mimicry, where there is a structural similarity between the molecules of an organism and a foreign molecule. Co-directed immune responses[…]
Read more at sciencesetavenir.fr
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