Severe Guillain-Barré Syndrome Following Shingrix® Vaccine Administration

Abstract

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare life threatening acute polyradiculoneuropathy with variable clinical presentations, including weakness, paresthesias, diminished deep tendon reflexes, hyponatremia, dysautonomia, and a cytoalbuminological dissociation on cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis. The exact etiology remains unknown but is thought to occur as a post-infective immunemediated process. Vaccines and illnesses, including H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, cytomegalovirus, and herpes zoster virus, have been associated with GBS. One vaccine that has not been identified to cause GBS is the newly released Shingrix® vaccine for herpes zoster infection prevention. We present a case of severe GBS following Shingrix® vaccine immunization.