Management of Patients with Cerebellar Ataxia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Current Concerns and Future Implications

Manto, Mario; Dupré, Nicolas; Hadjivassiliou, Marios; Louis, Elan D.; Mitoma, Hiroshi; Molinari, Marco; Shaikh, Aasef G.; Soong, Bing Wen; Strupp, Michael; Overwalle, Frank Van; Schmahmann, Jeremy D.

doi:10.1007/s12311-020-01139-1

Cited by 28 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“… 5 In patients suspected to have ataxia, various aspects of the neurological examination can be assessed (namely, eye movements, speech, and coordination). 6 The value of telemedicine services for surgical patients is also supported by emerging evidence. 7 Also, telemedicine enables physicians to communicate directly with the patient and their relatives and increase the quality of care.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic era among physicians in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Mubaraki

Alrabie

Sibyani

et al. 2021

SMJ

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Objectives: To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess the awareness about telemedicine among physicians and determine their opinions about telemedicine in the post-pandemic era. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at government hospitals (King Faisal Medical Complex [KFMC]-King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital [KASH]) in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from May-August 2020. Taif is a small city in the western region of KSA with a population of 689,000 and 2 main hospitals (KFMC & KASH) which also serve rural areas close to Taif city. A total of 36 physicians practiced telemedicine, only 25 physicians accepted to participate in this study. Results: Thirty-six percent of the responders believed that telemedicine could improve the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention and 44% believed that the quality of care was enhanced using telemedicine. Difficulty in reaching the correct diagnosis due to the lack of physical examination was one of the disadvantages that faced the participants. Conclusion: Telemedicine should be part of medical services but should not completely replace physicians’ personal interaction. Telemedicine could be continued for stable remotely residing patients even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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confidence: 96%

Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic era among physicians in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Mubaraki

Alrabie

Sibyani

et al. 2021

SMJ

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“…COVID-19 crisis thus challenged the current care system of ataxic patients [ 10 , 11 ] but, above all, opened the way to novel technologies in medical assistance. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop systems for home-based physical training and improve those for remote assessment [ 12 – 16 ].…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Friedreich ataxia in COVID-19 time: current impact and future possibilities

et al. 2021

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COVID-19 outbreak profoundly impacted on daily-life of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including those with ataxia. Effects on interventional trials have been recently described. Conversely, changes in physical activity programs, which are crucial in care of ataxic patients, have not been assessed yet.Here we used a structured electronic survey to interview twenty patients with Friedreich ataxia (FA) on changes in physical activity during the lockdown in Italy.Regular physiotherapy was interrupted for most patients and up to 60% of them referred a substantial worsening of self-perceived global health. However, FA patients (especially those mildly affected) adopted voluntarily home-based training strategies and, in 30% of cases, used technology-based tools (TBTs) for exercise.COVID-19 crisis thus disclosed the urgent need to support ataxic patients improving systems for remote physical activity and technology-based assistance.

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“…Not only social and public life is reduced to a minimum, but healthcare services have also been cut down considerably. Physiotherapy was among the canceled services, with grave consequences for chronically ill patients [6][7][8][9][10] . Since physical therapy is the basic pillar of their overall therapy, its interruption severely affected PD patients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Telerehabilitation is recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association 62 , the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy 54 , the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, and the International Network of Physiotherapy Regulatory Authorities 63 . The successful implementation in other conditions such as stroke 64 – 67 , cerebellar ataxia 8 , muscular dystrophies 68 , hereditary spastic paraplegia 6 , and multiple sclerosis 69 makes it a promising therapeutic possibility in PD. A recent study showed the readiness of PD patients to take part in telerehabilitation 70 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How COVID-19 will boost remote exercise-based treatment in Parkinson’s disease: a narrative review

Langer

Gassner

Flotz

et al. 2021

npj Parkinsons Dis.

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The lack of physical exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic-related quarantine measures is challenging, especially for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Without regular exercise not only patients, but also nursing staff and physicians soon noticed a deterioration of motor and non-motor symptoms. Reduced functional mobility, increased falls, increased frailty, and decreased quality of life were identified as consequences of increased sedentary behavior. This work overviews the current literature on problems of supplying conventional physiotherapy and the potential of telerehabilitation, allied health services, and patient-initiated exercise for PD patients during the COVID-19 period. We discuss recent studies on approaches that can improve remote provision of exercise to patients, including telerehabilitation, motivational tools, apps, exergaming, and virtual reality (VR) exercise. Additionally, we provide a case report about a 69-year-old PD patient who took part in a 12-week guided climbing course for PD patients prior to the pandemic and found a solution to continue her climbing training independently with an outdoor rope ladder. This case can serve as a best practice example for non-instructed, creative, and patient-initiated exercise in the domestic environment in difficult times, as are the current. Overall, many recent studies on telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and patient-initiated exercises have been published, giving rise to optimism that facilitating remote exercise can help PD patients maintain physical mobility and emotional well-being, even in phases such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic itself may even boost the need to establish comprehensive and easy-to-do telerehabilitation programs.

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Management of Patients with Cerebellar Ataxia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Current Concerns and Future Implications

Cited by 28 publications

References 19 publications

Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic era among physicians in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic era among physicians in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Friedreich ataxia in COVID-19 time: current impact and future possibilities

How COVID-19 will boost remote exercise-based treatment in Parkinson’s disease: a narrative review

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