Leg paralysis after AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination diagnosed as neuralgic amyotrophy of the lumbosacral plexus: a case report

J Int Med Res. 2021 Nov;49(11):3000605211056783. doi: 10.1177/03000605211056783.

Abstract

The ongoing global administration of vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) means that increasing numbers of patients are likely to present with post-vaccination complications. We describe the first reported case of neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) involving the lumbosacral plexus occurring after AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination. The patient presented with acute-onset leg paralysis following administration of the vaccine. Based on the clinical, electrodiagnostic, and radiologic findings, the patient was diagnosed with post-vaccination NA. We speculate that the COVID-19 vaccine elicited an immune-mediated inflammatory response to the injected antigen due to inflammatory immunity in a patient with predisposed susceptibility to NA.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019; case report; complication; lumbosacral plexus; paralysis; vaccination.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Brachial Plexus Neuritis* / chemically induced
  • Brachial Plexus Neuritis* / diagnosis
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Leg
  • Lumbosacral Plexus
  • Paraplegia
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Vaccination / adverse effects

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines