Are type 1 interferons treatment in Multiple Sclerosis as a potential therapy against COVID-19?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus (COVID-19), (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) has been spreading worldwide since its first identification in China. It has been speculated that patients with comorbidities and elderly patients could be at high risk for the pandemic reasoned respiratory insufficiency and death. At first, it was thought that the patients who use immunmodulator therapy could be even at higher risks of disease complications. However, it has been also speculated about that using immunmodulators could be an advantage for the clinical prognosis. Therefore, several immunmodulators are currently being tested as potential treatment for COVID-19. METHODS: In this paper we report on a patient that has been treated with type 1 interferon for multiple sclerosis who developed COVID-19. RESULTS: Despite using immunmodulator, the symptoms of the patient at hospitalization were mild and he did not show elevated D-dimer, and there was no lymphopenia. He was discharged to home-quarantine with no symptoms. DISCUSSION: This report supports the idea of using type 1 interferon in the treatment could be effective in COVID-19 affected patients.