People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are often treated with immunosuppressants or immunomodulators and are more susceptible to worsening in the course of COVID-19 if they get infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Social isolation is necessary to minimize the risk of infection.
To analyze the influence of social isolation measures on the quality of life of people with MS during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
41 people with MS participated (22RR, 14PP, 5SP), 25 females and 16 males, aged between 18 and 70 years, EDSS from 0 to 8.5. All of them answered a structured questionnaire containing 15 questions about patients perception in the physical, communicative and psychological domains during social isolation.
According to the domains: In physical: changes in daily life (n = 37/90%), fatigue (n = 22/54%), difficulty in walking (n = 28/68%), pain (n = 23/56%) and decreased muscle strength (n = 24/58%). In communicative it was identified difficulty in verbal communication (n = 13/32%), change in activity and communicative frequency (n = 31/76%), with reduced face-to-face communication and increased use of video calls by cell phone. In psychological terms, perception of vulnerability (n = 20/49%), sadness (n = 27/66%), concern / fear (n = 31/75%) and impact on quality of life (n = 33/80%), with the support of family / friends, online treatments, leisure and religiosity, helping to deal with the social isolation.
During the social isolation in Brazil, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of respondents in this cross-sectional study revealed a moderate to severe impact on quality of life in all domains. In the face of uncertainties, MS specialists must adapt to monitoring for complications in the spheres of physiotherapy, psychology and speech therapy, as well as adopt rehabilitation options applicable to the moment.