Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with inherited neuromuscular disorders

Autor: Cristiane Araujo Martins Moreno, Clara Gontijo Camelo, Pedro Henrique Marte de Arruda Sampaio, Alulin Tácio Quadros Santos Monteiro Fonseca, Eduardo de Paula Estephan, André Macedo Serafim Silva, Renann Nunes Pirola, Luiz Henrique Libardi Silva, Karlla Danielle Ferreira Lima, Marco Antônio Veloso de Albuquerque, Antonio Edvan Camelo Filho, Marcos Vinícius Oliveira Marques, Mario Teruo Yanagiura, Wagner Cid Palmeira Cavalcante, Ciro Matsui Junior, Lucas Michielon de Augusto Isihi, Rodrigo Holanda Mendonça, Ana Flávia Pincerno Pouza, Mary Souza de Carvalho, Umbertina Conti Reed, Edmar Zanoteli
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, Vol 80, Iss 6, Pp 563-569 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1678-4227
0004-282x
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282x-anp-2021-0166
Popis: ABSTRACT Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought substantial challenges for current practices in treating hereditary neuromuscular disorders (hNMDs). However, this infection has not been the only concern for these patients. Social distancing has compromised multidisciplinary assistance and physical activity, and has brought about several mental health issues. We presented a follow-up on 363 patients with hNMDs at a Brazilian tertiary center during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective We aimed to show the frequency and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection among hNMD patients and to demonstrate the effects of the pandemic on life habits, disease progression and multidisciplinary supportive care status. Methods Three hundred and sixty-three patients (58% male and 42% female) were followed for three months through three teleconsultations during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Results There were decreases in the numbers of patients who underwent physical, respiratory and speech therapies. For several patients, their appetite (33%) and sleep habits (25%) changed. Physical exercises and therapies were interrupted for most of the patients. They reported new onset/worsening of fatigue (17%), pain (17%), contractions (14%) and scoliosis (7%). Irritability and sleep, weight and appetite changes, and especially diminished appetite and weight loss, were more frequent in the group that reported disease worsening. There was a low COVID-19 contamination rate (0.8%), and all infected patients had a mild presentation. Conclusion The isolation by itself was protective from a COVID-19 infection perspective. However, this isolation might also trigger a complex scenario with life habit changes that are associated with an unfavorable course for the NMD.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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