Immunosuppression during the COVID-19 pandemic in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders patients: A new challenge

By: Edgar Carnero Contenttia, Jorge Correab

Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Hospital Alemán, Av Pueyrredón 1640, C1118AAT Buenos Aires, Argentina

Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Francisco J. Muñiz, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentinapage2image3982300736

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COrona VIrus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. As of March 31, 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 has been confirmed in around 200 countries (World Health Organization). So far, COVID-19 has in- fected more than 800,000 people worldwide and caused more than 37,000 deaths. In this context, the most severely affected countries are the United States of America (USA), Italy, Spain and China. As vaccines and approved targeted drugs for treatment of the COVID-19 are still unknown, the current management of COVID-19 is supportive (World Health Organization, 2020).