The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy

Abstract

Objectives At a time of global health crisis, fear, anxiety, and stress levels increase. The effects of protracted social isolation, and media related misinformation’s about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulting in increased fear/stress related to the insufficiently known illness. The aim was to assess the influence of the COVID-19 health crisis on patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Methods A cross-sectional study on 29 adult CIDP patients was performed. The Medical Research Council scale was used to evaluate muscle strength. The degree of functional disability was measured using the Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment disability scale. The overall quality of life (QoL) was self-estimated on a 0-100 numeric rating scale. We also used a specifically designed 22-question-survey about COVID-19. Results Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, 62% of CIDP patients were concerned. The daily activities of 55% of patients were negatively influenced by the pandemic. During the COVID-19 outbreak, 21% of patients reported their CIDP got worse. In 39% of CIDP patients, the influence of the pandemic on CIDP therapy was reported (reducing the dose or time interval or even discontinuation). The mean value of the self-estimated QoL was 64±19. Independent predictors of worse QoL were age of patients (beta=-0.35, p<0.05) and fear of the COVID-19 (beta=-0.34, p<0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on CIDP patients. Besides the direct influence of the virus and fear of the virus, restrictive measures can indirectly harm the patients with CIDP.

The impact of the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic on patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies: results from the German INHIBIT register

“…But contacts were also reduced on the patient side. People went to the hospital less often out of fear for potential infection [16][17][18]. This is also shown in the study of Musche et al Despite evidence of reduced infections from immunotherapy in patients with CIDP and MMN, the prevalence of depression and fear of potential infection has increased [19].…”

“…Partially due to the global shortage of intravenous immunoglobulins, 27.4% (2021) of our patients required adjustments in therapy (38.4% in 2022) [9,10,18]. Despite the fact that the study of Romozzi et al [21] indicates that patients were also able to cope with less or no immunoglobulins due to the pandemic, 50.0% (2021) of our cohort reported worsening of symptoms (67.9% in 2022).…”

COVID-19-Related Burden and Risk Perception in Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy and Multifocal Motor Neuropathy: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…To the best of our knowledge, we were the first to conduct a study of patients with CIDP or MMN in direct comparison to healthy controls during the pandemic. Stojanov et al [ 13 ] reported not only a direct effect of COVID-19 but also an indirect effect on patients with CIDP; 62% of the patients reported concerns, 55% a reduction of daily activities, and 39% an influence on their CIDP therapy. These concerns and changes in daily life and treatment could explain why the present sample showed increased COVID-19-related fear, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.…”

“…In fact, cohort studies showed that the course of disease and outcomes for patients with neuroimmunological diseases seem to be ambiguous [ 8 , 9 ]. While, for instance, Salter et al [ 10 ] showed that the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 in individuals with CIDP was similar to that seen from the general population, other studies revealed that individuals with CIDP are at greater risk of COVID-19 infection, but also disease exacerbations and relapses due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 [ 11 – 13 ].…”

Experiences of social isolation among patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in China: A qualitative study

“…In the future, multicenter studies or more interview scenarios should be considered, such as homes and communities. Finally, although COVID-19 has negatively impacted many people's lifestyles, mental health, and quality of life (Stojanov et al, 2021;Motolese et al, 2020) and recently exacerbate social isolation, this special medical social background was not taken into account in the interviews. However, the epidemic situation in China was in a relatively stable period from November 2020 to March 2021.…”