Covid-19 and Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Infections
1

A few years ago, my son had Guillain Barré Syndrome following a bout of 'flu. Guillain Barré is an auto-immune syndrome where anti-bodies are generated to combat, say, a 'flu, and end up attacking the body's own peripheral nervous system. Fortunately he was diagnosed and treated very quickly, and has completely recovered. I read that if someone has had Guillain Barré, they have about a 1% chance of getting it again in their lifetime.

My worry now is concerning Covid-19, particularly now that people seem to be ignoring the social distancing rules. Is is possible or likely that a Covid-19 infection could re-trigger his Guillain-Barré? He is in his 20's, and has just finished university, so he should be looking to start his career. But should he be shielding instead?

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have you discussed this concern with his doctor?
is there anyway he could take classes online to start? maybe he shouldn’t take the full courses yet.
i don’t think anyone knows the exact answer to your question yet. They don’t know enough about this virus. So I would err on the side of caution at this time. I would just assume that the coronavirus could trigger another episode of Guillian Barre and just to be on the safe side, I would do that at least until there is a reliable vaccine available. But even at that, he should still assume that people are with the virus. actually everybody should take precautions. Not be paranoid but just cautious. And of course he should always wear a mask and avoid crowds if he has to go anywhere.