The World Health Organization (WHO) is now calling the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic, and people are understandably concerned—especially those with underlying neurologic conditions.

What we know so far is that COVID-19 is a respiratory disease characterized by cough, fever, and shortness of breath. In some cases, the disease has led to life-threatening breathing problems and death.

There is no antiviral therapy or cure for COVID-19 currently, although researchers are working on a vaccine and clinical trials are underway using antiviral drugs. Available treatment aims to mitigate symptoms. The WHO estimates the global mortality rate to be 3.4 percent, although experts say that number should be treated with caution because not all patients have concluded their illness (that is, recovered or died) and the true number of infections and full disease spectrum are unknown.

What You Can Do

Although not a neurologic disorder itself, COVID-19 can affect anyone whose neurologic condition causes breathing problems, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and some muscular dystrophies. People whose immune systems are compromised or who take immune-suppressing drugs—such as those with multiple sclerosis (MS), myasthenia gravis, and neuromyelitis optica—are also vulnerable.

Everyone—including those at high risk due to lung and heart disease and diabetes, as well as the conditions mentioned above—is advised to follow precautions recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials: Wash your hands frequently with soap and hot water; stay away from crowded situations; avoid traveling, especially on airplanes and cruise ships; keep a distance of six feet from other people; and don’t congregate in groups of 10 or more people.

The National Medical Advisory Committee of the National MS Society advises people with MS to follow the CDC guidelines and to continue their disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and discuss risks with their physicians before stopping any medications, including those that suppress the immune system.

Shibani S. Mukerji, MD, PhD, associate director of the neuro-infectious diseases unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Neurology Today, the official news source for the American Academy of Neurology, that patients with ALS and other conditions that affect breathing should adhere to the CDC’s recommendations for high-risk groups. She also noted that patients and families who rely on caregivers should have a contingency plan in place in case their caregivers get exposed to COVID-19 and must stay away.

Additionally, Dr. Mukerji wrote, patients with minor cold-like illnesses should reschedule their appointments or arrange telehealth visits to reduce the potential for community transmission. Increasingly, neurologists and other physicians are turning to telephone, email, and video visits to monitor their patients. Ask your doctor if that is an option for you.

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COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Neurologic Disease Resource Center