$tagsList = ['Hidradenitis Suppurativa','Hives','HIV/AIDS','Psoriatic Arthritis','Psoriasis']; $catList = ['Hidradenitis Suppurativa','Hives','HIV/AIDS','Psoriatic Arthritis','Psoriasis']; Skip to main content

Patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) may be prone to experiencing worse COVID-19 outcomes. As an autoimmune disease, NMOSD is detrimental to the optic nerve and central nervous system. Patients with NMOSD may experience disease onset at a later age, have comorbidities, and often be treated with immunosuppressive therapy, such as rituximab, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids.ย 

However, the use of immunosuppressive therapy could increase the risk of viral infections like SARS-CoV-2. Preliminary data suggest that patients with multiple sclerosis experience higher hospitalization and mortality rates than others.

This systematic review and meta-analysis, published inย Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders,ย gathered data from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase between December 2019 and July 2021. Included studies involved the prevalence of COVID-19 among NMOSD patients, NMOSD in COVID-19 patients, and outcomes in patients with NMOSD and COVID-19. The characteristics of the study patients were also gathered and analyzed.ย 

Ultimately, it was found that around half of the patients with COVID-19 and NMOSD treated with rituximab (52.9%) had to be hospitalized, and six out nine patients who died of COVID-19 were on rituximab. The total pooled rate of ICU admission, hospitalization, and mortality for patients was 15.4%, 33.7%, and 3.3%, respectively. In addition, approximately 48.7% of patients reported at least one comorbidity, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, autoimmune disease, or cancer.ย 

In conclusion, special care is needed for COVID patients with NMOSD due to potentially worse outcomes, such as increased rates of hospitalization and mortality. Healthcare providers should be aware of the possible adverse outcomes associated with COVID-19 in patients with NMOSD and make treatment adjustments as necessary, especially in regard to immunosuppressive therapy.

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Source:

[1] Barzegar, M., Mirmosayyeb, O., Ebrahimi, N., Bagherieh, S., Afshari-Safavi, A., Hosseinabadi, A. M., Shaygannejad, V., & Asgari, N. (2022). COVID-19 susceptibility and outcomes among patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD): A systematic review and meta-analysis.ย Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders,ย 57, 103359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2021.103359