Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in challenges for the practice of neurology. One major concern is how to best manage patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). DMTs frequently have immunosuppressive properties that both increase the risk for COVID-19 and potentially reduce the immunologic response to vaccination in a group already vulnerable to infection due to neurologic deficits. Here, we review early data on COVID-19 outcomes in patients with MS and discuss what is known about vaccine effectiveness in those on anti-CD20 and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agents, which are proposed to have attenuating effects based on their mechanisms of action. In addition, we provide recommendations to best use novel COVID-19 vaccines in this population and highlight what information may better inform vaccine strategies in the future.
Footnotes
Funding information and disclosures are provided at the end of the article. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp.
COVID-19 Resources: NPub.org/COVID19
- Received January 25, 2021.
- Accepted March 18, 2021.
- Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Neurology
The Nerve!: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
