Management of Parkinson’s Disease in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Future Perspectives in the Era of Vaccination

Abstract

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) has led to a serious global health crisis. Increasing evidence suggests that elderly individuals with underlying chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), are particularly vulnerable to this infection. Changes in the routine care of PD patients should be implemented carefully without affecting the quality provided. The utilization of telemedicine for clinical consultation, assessment and rehabilitation has also been widely recommended. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide recommendations in the management of PD during the pandemic as well as in the early phase of vaccination programs to highlight the potential sequelae and future perspectives of vaccination and further research in PD. Even though a year has passed since COVID- 19 emerged, most of us are still facing great challenges in providing a continuum of care to patients with chronic neurological disorders. However, we should regard this health crisis as an opportunity to change our routine approach in managing PD patients and learn more about the impact of SARS-CoV-2. Hopefully, PD patients can be vaccinated promptly, and more detailed research related to PD in COVID-19 can still be carried out.

Deep Learning Paradigm for Cardiovascular Disease/Stroke Risk Stratification in Parkinson’s Disease Affected by COVID-19: A Narrative Review

“…The effect of COVID-19 on PD, the heart, and the brain is still unknown due to the limited literature, especially since we know that the lungs are badly affected by COVID-19 [ 54 , 55 ]. Note that PD patients already have several other comorbidities due to the older age group [ 6 , 16 , 56 ]. The symptoms related to PD with COVID-19 and other comorbidities introduce nonlinearity, causing challenges in the ML system for CVD/stroke risk stratification [ 16 ].…”

“…During the period of lockdown, less importance was given to PD-affected patients, leading to heart attack and stroke in PD patients [ 16 ]. The connection between cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and PD with COVID-19 seems particularly important due to several observations.…”

Movement disorders in COVID-19 times: impact on care in movement disorders and Parkinson disease

“…A systematic review found that proactively educating PWP regarding COVID-19 infection prevention should be undertaken [52 ▪ ]. Education could include reviewing effective strategies, such as hand washing, current public health guidelines, providing advice for lockdown preparedness and the importance of early vaccination [53,54]. Another education activity could include advance care planning, which can be conducted on virtual platforms.…”

Covid-19 and Parkinson's disease: Nursing care, vaccination and impact on advanced therapies

“…Increasing evidence suggests that PwP are particularly vulnerable to the sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to intrinsic features of PD, including, but not limited to, rigidity of respiratory muscles, abnormal posture and impaired cough reflex ( Lau, Lau, & Ibrahim, 2021 ; van Wamelen et al, 2020 ), while they are likely to experience an aggravation of their motor and non-motor symptoms, especially in cases of advanced PD ( Merello, Bhatia, & Obeso, 2021 ). Restrictions of mobility, often accompanying PD, limited access to healthcare resources, and reduced social interactions due to the imposed lockdown regulations might further deteriorate patients’ health and quality of life.…”

“…Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 should be a priority in the management of PwP during the pandemic ( Lau et al, 2021 ). The MDS has released a Covid-19 vaccine statement to address aspects of Covid-19 vaccination among PwP ( Bloem et al, 2021 ).…”