The management of patients with neurological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The article discusses the management of patients with various neurological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account the determination of the level of risk of infection. The possibility of increasing the risk of infection in patients with disability, especially with impaired function of the respiratory and bulbar muscles, limited mobility, and the presence of concomitant diseases, is indicated. The recommendations on the treatment of patients with stroke, neuromuscular diseases, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, in particular, multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), as well as non-inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonism, dystonia, hereditary spastic paraplegia, infantile cerebral palsy, benign intracranial hypertension) are considered. Interactions of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 and neurological diseases are given. Potential neurological complications of COVID-19 are overviewed. Potential neurological complications of COVID-19 were noted: anosmia, ageusia, viral meningitis, encephalitis, post-infectious stem encephalitis, acute necrotizing hemorrhagic leukoencephalopathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myositis. The importance of the fact that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when examining patients with neurological diseases, clinicians should take into account the possibility of a patient with COVID-19, and also consider it as a differential diagnosis in order to avoid diagnostic errors, prescribe timely treatment and prevent the spread of infection.