Exacerbation

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. It is characterized by demyelinating lesions throughout the central nervous system. Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis constitute a vulnerable population to coronavirus disease-2019. This review focuses on the effects of coronavirus disease-2019 on relapse and symptom exacerbation in multiple sclerosis patients and their treatment. It highlights how the blood-brain barrier may be compromised by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, allowing inflammatory mediators and lymphocytes to infiltrate the central nervous system. This may increase the risk of relapse in multiple sclerosis patients. Also, in patients who did not have a prior history of multiple sclerosis, coronavirus disease-2019 has been found to impact multiple sclerosis onset and pathogenesis. However, more comprehensive research is required to fully understand the interplay between multiple sclerosis and coronavirus disease-2019.

Background There are limited data about the hospital outcome in hospitalized patients diagnosed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with concomitant deficiency of vitamin D. Objectives To assess the level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in patients with severe exacerbation of COPD and to find if there is any correlations between vitamin D and clinical, functional parameters, as well as survival, days of hospital stay, and need for ICU admission. Patients and methods In this case–control study, 60 patients with acute exacerbation COPD requiring hospital admission were recruited and 24 healthy controls. Chest radiography, spirometry, arterial blood gases, 6 min walking distance, modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale, and St George Respiratory Questionnaire were assessed. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results About 90% COPD patients had vitamin D deficiency. Serum vitamin D levels were statistically significantly l...