COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases of the nervous system - an update

Due to a similar pathomechanism, COVID-19 infection may significantly affect the course of autoimmune diseases (AIDs). In our review, we aimed to assess the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, response to treatment, and the impact of COVID-19 infection on the course of the underlying disease in patients with neuroimmune diseases.

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to determine the influence of COVID-19 infection on the course of autoimmune diseases due to the weakened immune system and immunosuppressive therapies.

Many reports have indicated that in patients with AIDs, the existence of the disease is not associated with a worse prognosis in the course of the viral infection. Patients in advanced stages of the disease, elderly patients, and those with comorbidities are at risk of more frequent hospitalisations and higher mortality in the course of COVID-19. Moreover, some drugs used in AIDs have been tested for their efficacy in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Episodes of newly diagnosed myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) secondary to COVID-19 or vaccination have also been reported. Vaccination against this pathogen is highly recommended in most patients with AIDs.

Despite many studies on the association between COVID-19 and neuroimmune diseases, more specific data is needed. The approach to patients with AIDs should be individual, since many issues remain unresolved despite the long-lasting pandemic.