An Italian programme forCOVID-19 infection in multiple sclerosis

摘要

Italy was the first European country to encounter the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. For people with multiple sclerosis, the situation carries additional reasons for concern. Although emerging work suggests that some coexisting diseases, such as hypertension, might increase the severity of the COVID-19 infection, how less common conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, effect COVID-19 outcomes is still uncertain. Furthermore, immunosuppressive therapies, the mainstay of treatment for multiple sclerosis, might confer additional risks or, on the contrary, confer some protection. Therefore, collecting information to evaluate the relationship between multiple sclerosis and COVID-19 and implement immediate and appropriate protective strategies is crucial. Less crucial, but equally as important, are questions about the long-term effect of this pandemic on psychiatric comorbidi-ties, such as depression and anxiety (common comorbidities in multiple sclerosis), the patient-physician relationship, the spread of scientific information, the development of new models of care, and the role of patients and patient organisations in the community.