Biomolecules (Sep 2021)

The Immunological Therapeutic Strategies for Controlling Multiple Sclerosis: Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Maryam Azimzadeh,
  • Nora Möhn,
  • Sajjad Ghane Ezabadi,
  • Zahra Moghimi Esfandabadi,
  • Alireza Soleimani,
  • Elaheh Ranjbar,
  • Maliheh Jahromi,
  • Reihaneh Seyedebrahimi,
  • Thomas Skripuletz,
  • Farshad Moharrami Kasmaie

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11091372
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 9
p. 1372

Abstract

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A growing body of evidence initially suggested that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) might be more susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Moreover, it was speculated that patients with MS treated with immunosuppressive drugs might be at risk to develop a severe diseases course after infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV2). However, the recently published data have shown that MS patients do not have a higher risk for severe COVID-19. Although there is no indication that patients with MS and immunomodulatory/immunosuppressive therapy are generally at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is currently being emphasized that the hazards of poorly treated MS may outweigh the putative COVID-19 dangers. In this review, we discuss the challenges and considerations for MS patients in the COVID-19 pandemic.

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