COVID-19 pneumonia in a multiple sclerosis patient with severe lymphopenia due to recent cladribine treatment
Rick Dersch1, Thomas Wehrum1, Sebastian Fähndrich2
1Clinic of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Background:
Most cases of COVID-19 are considered mild, but patients with immunosuppressant treatment might be prone to severe courses of disease. Expert panels advise to delay treatment with cell-depleting MS therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
We report a case of a patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who developed COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks after the first week of cladribine therapy.
Results:
Despite a severe lymphopenia (absolute lymphocyte count 240/µL), the patient had a moderate course of COVID-19.
Conclusion:
Apart from maximal supportive treatment, this could be due to cladribine reducing inflammatory response, which probably contributes considerably to severe courses of COVID-19 pneumonia.
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