Original Article: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0241103
- The Covid-19 virus emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
- Covid-19 disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2.
- Covid-19 became a pandemic in March 2020.
- The pandemic is still happening and uncertainty circles around the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients with chronic diseases.
- Chronic diseases include autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
- Multiple sclerosis is a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
- Multiple sclerosis damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells.
- Multiple sclerosis symptoms include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of the body at a time, electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, and lack of coordination or unsteady gait.
- To diminish the risk of Covid-19 viral infection and lessen the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of multiple sclerosis patients, it is essential to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and various behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among multiple sclerosis patients.
- This study aimed to look at the behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among patients with multiple sclerosis.
- A total of 176 multiple sclerosis patients diagnosed at least one year before the survey were conveniently sampled online in Saudi Arabia.
- Patient’s data was collected using a structured interview questionnaire in electronic Google form.
- Researchers determined the reliability of the questionnaire by measuring its internal consistency in a pilot sample of 30 participants.
- Overall, more than 80% of participants had good knowledge and attitudes towards Covid-19.
- However, this did not correlate well with the impact on healthcare.
- The study revealed that 46% of participants were anxious about taking their medication.
- The study also revealed 32% of participants missed their hospital appointments.
- Furthermore, 15% of the participants had a relapse but did not go to the hospital because of the pandemic.
- 15.9% stopped their therapies.
- 35.2% missed drug infusions or refills.
- The study revealed overall good knowledge and attitudes related to Covid-19 among multiple sclerosis patients.
- However, the healthcare impact was considerable, as 32% of the participants missed their hospital appointments, and another 15% had a relapse.
- This highlights the significance of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of patients with multiple sclerosis.
- Measures to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on healthcare service delivery to patients with multiple sclerosis, such as telemedicine, should be strongly encouraged.
- Telemedicine seeks to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at the distant site.
Source:
Alnajashi H, Jabbad R (2020) Behavioral practices of patients with multiple sclerosis during Covid-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE 15(10): e0241103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241103
https://medlineplus.gov/multiplesclerosis.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemedicine/index.html
