Update on the management of multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic: An international consensus statement

Saúl Reyes; Anthony L Cunningham; Tomas Kalincik; Eva Kubala Havrdová; Noriko Isobe; Julia Pakpoor; Laura Airas; Reem F Bunyan; Anneke van der Walt; Jiwon Oh; Joela Mathews; Farrah J Mateen; Gavin Giovannoni

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2021.577627

Update on the management of multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic: An international consensus statement

J Neuroimmunol. 2021 Aug 15:357:577627. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2021.577627. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia; School of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
² The Westmead Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
³ CORe, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne MS Centre, Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, General University Hospital and First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁶ Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
⁷ Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
⁸ Department of Neurology, Neurosciences Center, King Fahd Specialist Hospital (KFSH)-Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁰ Division of Neurology, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
¹¹ Department of Pharmacy, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
¹² Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹³ Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: g.giovannoni@qmul.ac.uk.

Abstract

In this consensus statement, we provide updated recommendations on multiple sclerosis (MS) management during the COVID-19 crisis and the post-pandemic period applicable to neurology services around the world. Statements/recommendations were generated based on available literature and the experience of 13 MS expert panelists using a modified Delphi approach online. The statements/recommendations give advice regarding implementation of telemedicine; use of disease-modifying therapies and management of MS relapses; management of people with MS at highest risk from COVID-19; management of radiological monitoring; use of remote pharmacovigilance; impact on MS research; implications for lowest income settings, and other key issues.

Keywords: COVID-19; Disease-modifying treatment; Multiple sclerosis; Pharmacovigilance; Telemedicine.

Publication types

Consensus Development Conference
Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / epidemiology*
COVID-19 / therapy*
Disease Management
Humans
Internationality*
Multiple Sclerosis / epidemiology*
Multiple Sclerosis / therapy*
Pandemics / prevention & control
Pharmacovigilance
Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards*
Telemedicine / standards
Telemedicine / trends