Guillain-Barré syndrome after COVID-19 vaccines: A Tunisian case series.

As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign progresses worldwide, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) vaccine-related cases have been reported. We carried out a retrospective, descriptive study of GBS patients following COVID-19 vaccine, submitted to the National Pharmacovigilance Center of Tunis during the period between March 2021 and May 2022. Our study aimed to identify epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 vaccine-associated GBS. We found 9 cases of GBS post COVID-19 vaccination; 5 of them were excluded due to the lack of information, whereas 4 cases were included in this study. Men represented 75% (3/4) of the cases. The most frequently reported vaccine type was ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (n = 2 reports [50%]), Ad26.COV2.S vaccine and BNT162b2 vaccine in 1. The mean time interval from vaccination to symptom onset was 15.3 days. Clinical manifestations were different: classical GBS in two cases and GBS with unilateral facial palsy in the other 2 cases. All patients were treated with a course of intravenous immunoglobulin for 5 days. Three patients reported clinical improvement while one case (25%) showed treatment-related fluctuations. Our observations suggest that COVID-19 vaccines may be associated with GBS. Continuous surveillance and further studies are warranted to assess the significance of the association.

Erythema multiforme reactions following Pfizer/BioNTech (tozinameran) vaccination: two case-reports with positive rechallenge and review of the literature.

AIM: Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) is a COVID-19 vaccine with a reassuring safety profile. The main adverse reactions are mild local reactions. Cutaneous reactions are generally minor. The most common cutaneous reaction reported was a local injection-site reaction. CASE STUDY: Here we present 2 cases of erythema multiform (EM) following BNT162b2 vaccination with positive rechallenge. The 1st case was about a 51-year-old woman who developed 5 days after the 1st dose of the mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) a macular, erythematous, round-shaped lesions on the hands, knees and soles. She experienced a positive rechallenge one month later. In the 2nd case, a 55-year-old man presented 6 days following the 2nd shot of the mRNA Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2), targetoid eruption on the upper and lower members. The patient reported that he had the same skin lesions in ankles and soles few days following the 1st shot of the same vaccine. CONCLUSION: Few cases of EM following COVID-19 vaccination were reported in the literature and positive rechallenge in only one case. Rechallenge was not performed in most cases. Our two cases are particular because of the positive rechallenge in both patients. This is the gold standard to confirm that the vaccine was the culprit agent in inducing EM.