COVID–19 and NeuroRehabilitation

Abstract

COVID–19 pandemic has huge impact on rehabilitation medicine and rehabilitation services. The impact is sorted to two types. One is neuromuscular disease newly caused by COVID–19 and the other is an adverse effect on people with pre–existing neuromuscular diseases. COVID–19 is ACE–2 receptors where SARS–COV–2 virus sticks and invades are distributed vascular endothelial cells. Multi–organ failure by COVID–19 result may result in encephalopathy, thrombotic condition may induces Stroke. Encephalitis may be occurred from direct invasion of SARS–COV–2 virus. Cases with Guillain–Barre syndrome are reported by immune reaction to this virus. Rhabdomyolysis during COVID–19 is also reported, but the mechanism is not known. The approaches and methods of rehabilitation to these diseases are common with those to neuromuscular diseases by other etiologies. Neurorehabilitation has to be planned early phase of disorders, but we should be careful to prevent infection of COVID–19 to medical doctors and medical stuffs. The impact of COVID–19 pandemic is enormous to the people with pre–existing neuromuscular diseases. Voluntary restraint of outgoing is requested by Japanese government more than one month. Fear to be infected is inflated by mass media. Times to visit hospitals and opportunity to have rehabilitation service were markedly decrease during COVID–19 pandemic. The decreased activity brought physical and mental hypofunction. Neurorehabilitation service should be reconstructed to prevent more deterioration. During pandemic of COVID–19, telerehabilitation is good candidate to provide rehabilitation service safely.