Advertisements
Advertisements
Related Topics
- The Covid-19 virus emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019.
- Covid-19 disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2.
- Covid-19 became a pandemic in March 2020.
- The pandemic is still happening and uncertainty circles around the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients with chronic diseases.
- Chronic diseases include autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
- Multiple sclerosis is a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
- Multiple sclerosis damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells.
- Multiple sclerosis symptoms include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of the body at a time, electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, and lack of coordination or unsteady gait.
- To diminish the risk of Covid-19 viral infection and lessen the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of multiple sclerosis patients, it is essential to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and various behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among multiple sclerosis patients.
- This study aimed to look at the behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among patients with multiple sclerosis.
- A total of 176 multiple sclerosis patients diagnosed at least one year before the survey were conveniently sampled online in Saudi Arabia.
- Patient’s data was collected using a structured interview questionnaire in electronic Google form.
- Researchers determined the reliability of the questionnaire by measuring its internal consistency in a pilot sample of 30 participants.
- Overall, more than 80% of participants had good knowledge and attitudes towards Covid-19.
- However, this did not correlate well with the impact on healthcare.
- The study revealed that 46% of participants were anxious about taking their medication.
- The study also revealed 32% of participants missed their hospital appointments.
- Furthermore, 15% of the participants had a relapse but did not go to the hospital because of the pandemic.
- 15.9% stopped their therapies.
- 35.2% missed drug infusions or refills.
- The study revealed overall good knowledge and attitudes related to Covid-19 among multiple sclerosis patients.
- However, the healthcare impact was considerable, as 32% of the participants missed their hospital appointments, and another 15% had a relapse.
- This highlights the significance of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of patients with multiple sclerosis.
- Measures to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on healthcare service delivery to patients with multiple sclerosis, such as telemedicine, should be strongly encouraged.
- Telemedicine seeks to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at the distant site.
Sources:
Alnajashi H, Jabbad R (2020) Behavioral practices of patients with multiple sclerosis during Covid-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE 15(10): e0241103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241103
https://medlineplus.gov/multiplesclerosis.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269
https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemedicine/index.html
Advertisements
Advertisements
AI Disclosure Statement:
The Chromoscience uses AI-assisted tools to support the preparation and editing of science articles. Content is reviewed by the editor for clarity and consistency with the cited research before publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the original scientific publications for complete findings, methods, and limitations.
