Abstract
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has potential to disproportionately and severely affect patients with neuromuscular disorders. In a short period of time, it has already caused reorganization of neuromuscular clinical care delivery and education, which will likely have lasting effects on the field. This article reviews (1) potential neuromuscular complications of COVID-19, (2) assessment and mitigation of COVID-19-related risk for patients with preexisting neuromuscular disease, (3) guidance for management of immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies, (4) practical guidance regarding neuromuscular care delivery, telemedicine, and education, and (5) effect on neuromuscular research. We outline key unanswered clinical questions and highlight the need for team-based and interspecialty collaboration. Primary goals of clinical research during this time are to develop evidence-based best practices and to minimize morbidity and mortality related to COVID-19 for patients with neuromuscular disorders.
Glossary
- AANEM=
- American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine;
- ALS=
- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;
- CK=
- creatine kinase;
- COVID-19=
- coronavirus disease 2019;
- FcRn=
- neonatal Fc receptor;
- FDA=
- Food and Drug Administration;
- GBS=
- Guillain-Barré syndrome;
- IST=
- immunosuppressive therapy;
- MERS=
- Middle East respiratory syndrome;
- MG=
- myasthenia gravis;
- NMD=
- neuromuscular disorder;
- SARS=
- severe acute respiratory syndrome;
- SARS-CoV-2=
- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
- Received April 5, 2020.
- Accepted in final form April 9, 2020.
- © 2020 American Academy of Neurology
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Reader response: COVID-19 and neuromuscular disorders
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
- Article
- Abstract
- Glossary
- Introduction
- Assessment of overall risk from COVID-19 in patients with NMD
- Risk of infection causing a new NMD
- Risk of COVID-19 infection exacerbating known or unmasking previously unrecognized NMDs
- Risks of immunosuppressant and immunomodulating therapies in patients with autoimmune NMDs
- COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and access in NMDs
- Management of patients with NMD who develop COVID-19
- Risks of treatments for COVID-19
- Risk of incident NMD with COVID-19 vaccine
- Changes in neuromuscular systems of care
- Rapid integration of telemedicine
- COVID-19's effect on neuromuscular training
- COVID-19's effect on neuromuscular research
- Discussion
- Study funding
- Disclosure
- Acknowledgment
- Appendix Authors
- Footnotes
- References
- Figures & Data
- Info & Disclosures
