Treatment of multiple sclerosis in the era of COVID-19 pandemic Review article
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Abstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in the current management of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nowadays, the amount of advice provided through telemedicine expanded and when organizing the face-to-face medical visit, one needed to take into account the sanitary regime, including wearing a face mask and frequently washing hands, both by the patient and the doctor. The COVID-19 pandemic caused that currently when choosing disease modifying therapy in MS, its influence on immune mechanisms of the antiviral response had to be considered. It should be remembered that the SARS-CoV-2 virus will probably become a medical problem for several months or even years whereas the consequence of insufficiently effective MS treatment due to fear of potential COVID-19 infection may be permanent disability of patients. In this article, the authors discuss practical aspects of changes in the functioning of the MS center, an organization of face-to-face patient visit, safe performance of magnetic resonance imaging, laboratory analyzes, and infusions, as well as provide tips about disease modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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