ABSTRACT
Several COVID-19 vaccines have recently been approved for emergency use according to governmental immunization programs. The arrival of these vaccines has created hope for people with Parkinson's disease (PD), as this can help to mitigate their risk of becoming infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which can lead to serious, life-threatening disease, at least among those with more advanced PD. However, both persons with PD and physicians looking after these individuals have expressed concerns about the vaccine's efficacy and safety in the specific context of PD and its symptomatic treatment. Here, we discuss our perspective on these concerns, based on our interpretation of the literature plus the unfolding experience with widespread vaccination in the population at large. Because the benefits and risks of COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to be different than in the general population, we recommend COVID-19 vaccination with approved vaccines to persons with PD, unless there is a specific contraindication. Some caution seems warranted in very frail and terminally ill elderly persons with PD living in long-term care facilities.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use , COVID-19/prevention & control , Parkinson Disease , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2 , VaccinationABSTRACT
Three recent case reports (by Méndez-Guerrero et al.,Cohen et al., and Faber et al.) describe the development of acute parkinsonism following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We discuss possible underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, and whether COVID-19 might be associated with elevated long-term risk of Parkinson's disease (PD).