PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Martin W. Hümmert
AU  - Franziska Bütow
AU  - Daria Tkachenko
AU  - Ilya Ayzenberg
AU  - Thivya Pakeerathan
AU  - Kerstin Hellwig
AU  - Luisa Klotz
AU  - Vivien Häußler
AU  - Jan-Patrick Stellmann
AU  - Clemens Warnke
AU  - Yasemin Goereci
AU  - Thorleif Etgen
AU  - Felix Luessi
AU  - Paul Bronzlik
AU  - Stefan Gingele
AU  - Ann-Sophie Lauenstein
AU  - Ingo Kleiter
AU  - Paulus S. Rommer
AU  - Friedemann Paul
AU  - Judith Bellmann-Strobl
AU  - Ankelien Duchow
AU  - Florian Then Bergh
AU  - Refik Pul
AU  - Annette Walter
AU  - Hannah Pellkofer
AU  - Tania Kümpfel
AU  - Mosche Pompsch
AU  - Markus Kraemer
AU  - Philipp Albrecht
AU  - Orhan Aktas
AU  - Marius Ringelstein
AU  - Makbule Senel
AU  - Katrin Giglhuber
AU  - Achim Berthele
AU  - Sven Jarius
AU  - Brigitte Wildemann
AU  - Corinna Trebst
TI  - Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients With NMO Spectrum Disorders and MOG-Antibody–Associated Diseases
AID  - 10.1212/NXI.0000000000200082
DP  - 2023 Mar 01
TA  - Neurology - Neuroimmunology Neuroinflammation
PG  - e200082
VI  - 10
IP  - 2
4099  - http://nn.neurology.org/content/10/2/e200082.short
4100  - http://nn.neurology.org/content/10/2/e200082.full
SO  - Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm2023 Mar 01; 10
AB  - Background and Objectives To evaluate the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the life of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated diseases (MOGAD).Methods This multicenter, cross-sectional study included data of 187 patients recruited from 19 different German and Austrian Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group (NEMOS) centers between July 2021 and March 2022. The effects of the pandemic on immunotherapeutic treatment and access to care, the possible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and the potential effect of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 on disease incidence and relapse risk were assessed using a patient questionnaire. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured with the EuroQoL Group 5-Dimension 5-Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L). Demographic and clinical characteristics were retrieved from the NEMOS database.Results One hundred eighty-seven patients (75% women; median age 47 [range 21–86] years; median disease duration 5.5 [range 0–67] years; median Expanded Disability Status Scale 2.0 [range 0–8.0]; 51% aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG)-positive, 36% myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG-positive 13% double-seronegative) were analyzed. Most patients maintained excellent access to healthcare services throughout the pandemic. Immunotherapy was not changed in 88% of patients. Ninety-one percent of all patients were satisfied with medical care during the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of patients rated their risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 as low or moderate. Among this study sample, 23 patients (12%) knowingly acquired an infection with SARS-CoV-2 and predominantly had a nonsevere course of illness (n = 22/23, 96%). The SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rate was 89%, with 4 cases of confirmed attack or first manifestation of NMOSD/MOGAD occurring in temporal association with the vaccination (range 2–9 days). The reported HRQoL did not decline compared with a prepandemic assessment (mean EQ-5D-5L index value 0.76, 95% bootstrap confidence interval [CI] 0.72–0.80; mean EQ-VAS 66.5, 95% bootstrap CI 63.5–69.3).Discussion This study demonstrates that, overall, patients with NMOSD/MOGAD affiliated with specialized centers received ongoing medical care during the pandemic. Patients' satisfaction with medical care and HRQoL did not decrease.ADEM=acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; AQP4-IgG=aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G; EDSS=Expanded Disability Status Scale; EQ-5D-5L=EuroQoL Group 5-Dimension 5-Level Scale; HRQoL=health-related quality of life; IVIG=IV immunoglobulin; MOG-IgG=myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein immunoglobulin G; MOGAD=myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated diseases; mRNA=messenger RNA; NEMOS=Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group; NMOSD=neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders