2020 issue 4

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Volume 36, issue 4

Case report

COVID-19 in two patients with multiple sclerosis treated with beta interferons

Karolina Kania1, Elżbieta Tokarz-Kupczyk1, Alicja Kalinowska-Łyszczarz2
1. Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology
2. Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurochemistry and Neuropathology
Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii 2020, 36 (4), 327–334
Date of publication: 08-02-2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33450/fpn.2020.12.004
Keywords: multiple sclerosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), beta-interferons

Abstract

Objectives. Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the era of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic raises many questions for doctors.

Case reports. We are presenting two cases of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with interferon beta-1b and interferon beta-1a, who suffered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with a benign course in one case and an asymptomatic one in another. None of the patients required hospitalisation.

Conclusions. MS treatment during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics poses several questions. Considering our own clinical experiences, we present a brief review of medical literature on the safety of MS immunotherapy. So far, the published data on MS and COVID-19 do not show increased risk associated with MS diagnosis or disease modifying therapy, even when associated with immunosuppression.

Address for correspondence:
Alicja Kalinowska-Łyszczarz
Poznan University of Medical Sciences
Department of Neurology, Division of Neurochemistry
49 Przybyszewskiego Str., 60-355 Poznan, Poland
email: alicjakal@yahoo.com