COVID-19 in two patients with multiple sclerosis treated with beta interferons

Abstract

Objectives. Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the era of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic raises many questions for doctors. Case reports. We are presenting two cases of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with interferon beta-1b and interferon beta-1a, who suffered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with a benign course in one case and an asymptomatic one in another. None of the patients required hospitalisation. Conclusions. MS treatment during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemics poses several questions. Considering our own clinical experiences, we present a brief review of medical literature on the safety of MS immunotherapy. So far, the published data on MS and COVID-19 do not show increased risk associated with MS diagnosis or disease modifying therapy, even when associated with immunosuppression.