Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Clinical and Experimental Neuroimmunology, cilt.15, sa.1, ss.40-44, 2024 (Scopus)
Objective: The study aimed to examine the demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD, pwNMOSD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This was an observational study of pwNMOSD at a tertiary care clinic. Data on COVID-19 infection were collected between 11 March 2020 and 30 April 2022. Data on COVID-19 symptoms, severity and death rate were analyzed. Results: We observed 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases and three suspected cases. Three (15.8%) patients had severe infections, whereas 16 (84.2%) had mild conditions. Only one person was admitted to the hospital due to pneumonia. COVID-19 re-infection was reported by three patients. No pwNMOSD died as a result of COVID-19 disease. Cough was the most frequently reported symptom. The incidence of COVID-19 infection in our cohort was 21.1%. Immunosuppressants were taken by 57.9% of pwNMOSD with COVID-19, and by 84.5% of pwNMOSD without COVID-19. Conclusions: Due to the small sample size, there was no predominant difference in infection between infected and uninfected patients with or without immunosuppressant drugs. However, given that immunosuppressants are a risk for infection, patient decision-making in their selection is important.