Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of corona virus (Covid-19) infection on patients with movement disorders.

Background: Since the outbreak of  Covid-19 in the world, millions of people are affected by this infection. Patients with movement disorders had their share of this pandemic.

Method: We retrospectively analyzed the demographic and clinical features as well as the outcome of patients with movement disorders  affected by Covid-19 infection.

Results: Twelve patients with various movement disorders with confirmed Covid-19 infection were enrolled in this study. Parkinson’s disease (PD) was present in 8, and and the remaining four were Huntington Disease (HD), blepharospasm, tardive dyskinesia, and hemifacial spasm (HFS). For PD patients, the mean age was 65 (39 -85) and the duration of disease was 7,4 (1- 20) years. Of all patients, 4 did not have any co-morbidities, the remaining had combinations of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cardiac problems. Headache is the most common symptom of Covid-19 infection. Fever, fatigue, pulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms were also frequent. Only 2 complained of smell and taste loss. Three required intensive care unit.  Hospitalization was not required in 5 patients. Five patients died, of these 4 had PD and 1 HFS.  These 4 PD patients had longer disease duration (mean 13 years) and were older (mean 73,7 years).

Conclusion: This small case series suggested that older PD patients with longer disease duration are prone to more severe Covid-19 infection with higher mortality. Further studies are needed in larger populations of movement disorders to understand the immediate and future effects of Covid-19 infection.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/outcome-of-movement-disorders-affected-by-covid-19-case-series-from-a-single-movement-disorders-unit/