Many MS patients who are receiving an immunomodulatory drug are currently worried whether they are particularly at risk from an infection with the new corona virus SARS CoV2 and whether they should expect a severe course of infection.
While I can understand this concern, it is often not rationally justified. I stick to the statement made two weeks ago at this point, that MS patients, as long as they do not have special risk factors such as higher age and/or certain underlying diseases (chronic heart or lung diseases, cancer, severe diabetes etc.), are no more at risk for severe cases of COVID 19 than the general population – regardless of whether they are treated or untreated.
As I mentioned in my last post – with MS immunotherapies we try to slow down the overreaction of the immune system against the body’s own structures. The highest priority is not to fundamentally impair the normal function of the immune system. So it is by no means the case that the immune system is “flattened” and treated MS patients are “immunosuppressed”, as I keep hearing in chats and inquiries. Of course, with such treatment, one cannot rule out every residual risk, but this applies generally to dealing with pathogens, not just in times of the Corona pandemic. Initial experience reports – mainly from Italy and Spain – also suggest that MS patients treated with different preparations are coping quite well with COVID 19 – as can be read, for example, on Twitter #mscovid19.
Therefore, there should be broad consensus that patients with multiple sclerosis should continue to use their medication regularly despite the pandemic and should under no circumstances stop taking the drugs without consulting an experienced doctor. It must not be forgotten that the corona crisis will eventually be over, unlike multiple sclerosis and the consequences of inadequate treatment. From the perspective of a benefit-risk assessment, it does not make sense to suspend necessary therapy in order to reduce the theoretical risk of an infectious disease that is benign in the vast majority of cases.
Please remember, the current measures – which probably seem ghostly to many and are difficult to bear psychologically – have not been implemented because the new corona virus is so dangerous, but they aim to protect society and maintain the performance of the health care system, so that everyone who really needs it gets the best care.
