Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39526678›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2025

Small fiber neuropathy associated with COVID-19 infection and vaccination: A prospective case-control study.

Vincenzo Donadio, Alex Incensi, ALessandro Furia, Sara Parisini, Francesco Colaci, Maria Pia Giannoccaro, Luana Morelli, Fortuna Ricciardiello, Vitoantonio Di Stasi, Andrea De Maria and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Vincenzo DonadioIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1290-7318
Alex IncensiIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
ALessandro FuriaIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7385-2744
Sara ParisiniIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
Francesco ColaciIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
Maria Pia GiannoccaroIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2208-376X
Luana MorelliIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
Fortuna RicciardielloIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
Vitoantonio Di StasiIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.
Andrea De MariaDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Genova and IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
Giovanni RizzoIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9718-2044
Rocco LiguoriIRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1815-1013

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSmall fiber neuropathy (SFN) after both COVID-19 infection or vaccination has been reported in sporadic cases, but a detailed description and comparison are missing. We aimed to screen a large cohort of patients complaining of pain and autonomic symptoms after COVID-19 natural infection or vaccination to ascertain the presence of SFN and its correlation with autoimmune diseases.

methodsWe prospectively recruited for this case-control study 66 patients: 33 developing sensory and autonomic symptoms after a natural COVID-19 infection (P-COVID) and 33 after a mRNA vaccination against COVID-19 (P-VAC). We also used 33 matched healthy controls (HC) collected before 2019 when the COVID-19 virus appeared. Patients underwent neurological examination and clinical scales, an extensive serum screening, and skin biopsy to detect small nerve fiber involvement.

resultsClinical scales showed higher scores for autonomic symptoms in P-COVID patients than in P-VAC patients, but the other scales did not differ. P-COVID and P-VAC patients showed a significant decrease in somatic small nerve fibers compared with HC, whereas autonomic innervation did not differ. SFN was more frequent in P-COVID patients (94%) than in P-VAC patients (79%). Epidermal innervation was correlated with clinical scales for pain and autonomic dysfunctions. Autoimmune abnormalities were frequent in both groups but importantly they were not correlated with SFN.

conclusionsSomatic SFN was frequently found in both P-COVID and P-VAC patients, with a higher incidence in the former group. Spared skin autonomic innervation was spared in both groups although a subtle autonomic involvement in P-COVID patients was suggested by a high COMPASS-31 scale score. SFN was not correlated with autoimmune dysfunctions, although autoimmune diseases were frequent in both groups.

Indexed as

COVID-19Small Fiber NeuropathyAdultAgedAutonomic Nervous System DiseasesCase-Control StudiesCOVID-19 VaccinesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesVaccinationCOVID-19 Vaccinesautoimmune dysfunctionsCOVID‐19 infectionCOVID‐19 vaccinationskin biopsysmall fiber neuropathy

Identifiers

PMID39526678
PMCPMC11625946

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.