Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD
Abstract Background Choosing a safe disease modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. This case series study was conducted to determine the incidence rate and the course of Covid-19 infection in MS/NMOSD patients treated with Rituximab. Methods In this study, we designed a web-b...
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doaj-2c26e27b4d8644f59b1632c651e344642021-05-02T11:24:35ZengBMCBMC Neurology1471-23772021-05-012111810.1186/s12883-021-02218-4Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSDSara Esmaeili0Mohammad Hossein Abbasi1Meysam Abolmaali2Mohammad Mojtahed3Seyedeh Niloufar Rafiei Alavi4Sevim Soleimani5Mahisa Mokhtari6Jaber Hatam7Samaneh Tanhapour Khotbehsara8Mohammad Reza Motamed9Mohammad Taghi Joghataei10Zahra Mirzaasgari11Mehdi Moghaddasi12Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran university of medical sciencesCellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran university of medical sciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti Medical UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Neurosurgery, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesCellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran university of medical sciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Neurology, Iran University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background Choosing a safe disease modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. This case series study was conducted to determine the incidence rate and the course of Covid-19 infection in MS/NMOSD patients treated with Rituximab. Methods In this study, we designed a web-based questionnaire. Baseline information such as patient- reported walking disability, total number of Rituximab infusions received, delayed injections, occurrence of any relapse, and the use of corticosteroids during the pandemic were collected. Also, information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic such as adherence to self-isolation, any recent exposure to an infected individual and the presence of suggestive symptoms were collected. In case of positive test results, patients were grouped into 2 categories; mild to moderate and seriously ill and outcomes were evaluated as favorable (improved/ discharged) and unfavorable (expired). Results Two hundred fifty-eight patients with Multiple Sclerosis were enrolled in this study, 9 of the subjects (3.4%) were confirmed positive for Covid-19, five of which required hospitalizations (55.5%), two patients required ICU admission (22.2%) and 2 two patients died (22.2%). None of these patients ever mentioned using corticosteroids during the pandemic. In comparison to MS patients who were not receiving disease modifying therapy (DMT), our study indicated a higher incidence of Covid-19 infection, higher ratio of serious illness and a higher fatality ratio. Conclusions Rituximab seems not to be safe enough during the pandemic.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02218-4COVID-19Disease modifying therapyMultiple sclerosisMSNeuromyelitis OpticaNMO |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sara Esmaeili Mohammad Hossein Abbasi Meysam Abolmaali Mohammad Mojtahed Seyedeh Niloufar Rafiei Alavi Sevim Soleimani Mahisa Mokhtari Jaber Hatam Samaneh Tanhapour Khotbehsara Mohammad Reza Motamed Mohammad Taghi Joghataei Zahra Mirzaasgari Mehdi Moghaddasi |
spellingShingle |
Sara Esmaeili Mohammad Hossein Abbasi Meysam Abolmaali Mohammad Mojtahed Seyedeh Niloufar Rafiei Alavi Sevim Soleimani Mahisa Mokhtari Jaber Hatam Samaneh Tanhapour Khotbehsara Mohammad Reza Motamed Mohammad Taghi Joghataei Zahra Mirzaasgari Mehdi Moghaddasi Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD BMC Neurology COVID-19 Disease modifying therapy Multiple sclerosis MS Neuromyelitis Optica NMO |
author_facet |
Sara Esmaeili Mohammad Hossein Abbasi Meysam Abolmaali Mohammad Mojtahed Seyedeh Niloufar Rafiei Alavi Sevim Soleimani Mahisa Mokhtari Jaber Hatam Samaneh Tanhapour Khotbehsara Mohammad Reza Motamed Mohammad Taghi Joghataei Zahra Mirzaasgari Mehdi Moghaddasi |
author_sort |
Sara Esmaeili |
title |
Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD |
title_short |
Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD |
title_full |
Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD |
title_fullStr |
Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rituximab and risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity in patients with MS and NMOSD |
title_sort |
rituximab and risk of covid-19 infection and its severity in patients with ms and nmosd |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Neurology |
issn |
1471-2377 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Abstract Background Choosing a safe disease modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. This case series study was conducted to determine the incidence rate and the course of Covid-19 infection in MS/NMOSD patients treated with Rituximab. Methods In this study, we designed a web-based questionnaire. Baseline information such as patient- reported walking disability, total number of Rituximab infusions received, delayed injections, occurrence of any relapse, and the use of corticosteroids during the pandemic were collected. Also, information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic such as adherence to self-isolation, any recent exposure to an infected individual and the presence of suggestive symptoms were collected. In case of positive test results, patients were grouped into 2 categories; mild to moderate and seriously ill and outcomes were evaluated as favorable (improved/ discharged) and unfavorable (expired). Results Two hundred fifty-eight patients with Multiple Sclerosis were enrolled in this study, 9 of the subjects (3.4%) were confirmed positive for Covid-19, five of which required hospitalizations (55.5%), two patients required ICU admission (22.2%) and 2 two patients died (22.2%). None of these patients ever mentioned using corticosteroids during the pandemic. In comparison to MS patients who were not receiving disease modifying therapy (DMT), our study indicated a higher incidence of Covid-19 infection, higher ratio of serious illness and a higher fatality ratio. Conclusions Rituximab seems not to be safe enough during the pandemic. |
topic |
COVID-19 Disease modifying therapy Multiple sclerosis MS Neuromyelitis Optica NMO |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02218-4 |
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