Medical Experts

These are tough questions for several reasons. First, it is very unusual for GBS to affect a 9-year old and secondly, it is very unusual to have a sensory variant. Thirdly, there is very little scientific data on which to base my answers but here goes anyway. The easiest to answer is your second question. There is a good study from Israel looking at people who have had GBS and then have the COVID vaccine and that showed that only one patient had neurological symptoms after the vaccine and it was not clear whether it was really recurrent GBS or not. Also, the symptoms were mild and the person recovered quickly and fully. I have been unable to find any other reports of GBS patients suffering a relapse with any of the COVID vaccines. I think , therefore, that it would be wise to have your daughter vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is approved for children under the age of 12. You definitely should talk to both your GP and your neurologist before doing this but my opinion is that it would be safe. The first part of your question is more difficult to answer. The fact that your daughter seems to get worse when she gets a cold or is over-tired suggests to me that if she were to get COVID that effect would also be seen. She is probably also more likely to have a relapse of her GBS following COVID infection than she is following the vaccine although recurrence of GBS following COVID infection has not been reported. So, I think the risk of COVID infection is much greater than the risk of the vaccine and that is more reason to get her vaccinated when the vaccine is available for 9-year old children. It is very important that you discuss these issues with your GP and your neurologist because they know your daughter and I do not. Feel free to share my thoughts with them.

Hi Anne: This is a tough one. It is a lot easier to say what is not – it is not GBS. GBS causes weakness with only minimal sensory loss and, although pain can certainly occur, it does cause this kind of pain. There is a condition called sensory neuronopathy which can come on after an infection, assuming the gastritis was an infection, and that can look a little like this. Sensory neuronopathy can also occur with a condition called Sjogren’s syndrome which could be the only link I can think of to a positive ANA. It is early days yet, just 6 weeks, so at the moment I would recommend just treating the pain and seeing what happens over the next few weeks. If the symptoms persist or get worse referral to neurology for nerve conduction studies would seem to be the best option. Gareth

I am sorry to hear of all the problems you son is experiencing following his GBS. GBS does not directly affect the brain but is a life-threatening and life-changing event that can have a huge impact on people’s lives. It is not a “trauma” in the usual sense of the word but is certainly an emotionally traumatic event and depressi0n and anxiety are common following the acute illness.. Most people recover a little more quickly than your son but psychological counselling can be needed. Your son has clearly been affected by this in a major way and it is critically important to talk to your doctor so that your son’s mental welfare can be taken care of. Gareth Parry

I have recently learned from Tony Pearson that you recently had GBS. It would be quite unusual to have sensory symptoms of this kind in the back as a result of GBS. They can certainly occur in the limbs and I guess it is possible that they could also occur elsewhere. The “buzzing” symptoms can occur following GBS and probably are related to the nerves recovering so are a good sign. If the symptoms are from the GBS, topical lotions will not help. If the symptoms are distressing medication such as nortriptyline, gabapentin or pregabalin can help so you should talk to your doctor about that possibility.

Hi there: You don’t mention whether you have GBS or CIDP. If you had GBS, when did you have it? Let me know that information and I will try to answer your questions.
Gareth