The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on adult individuals with neuromuscular disease

Muhammed Kılınç; Ender Ayvat; Özge Onursal Kılınç; Fatma Ayvat; Mert Doğan; Gülşah Sütçü Uçmak; Can Ebru Bekircan Kurt; Sevim Erdem Özdamar; Sibel Aksu Yıldırım; Ersin Tan

doi:10.55697/tnd.2025.358

Muhammed Kılınç¹, Ender Ayvat¹, Özge Onursal Kılınç¹, Fatma Ayvat¹, Mert Doğan², Gülşah Sütçü Uçmak², Can Ebru Bekircan Kurt³, Sevim Erdem Özdamar³, Sibel Aksu Yıldırım¹, Ersin Tan³

¹Department of Neurological Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Ankara, Türkiye
²Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Akdeniz University Faculty of Health Sciences, Antalya, Türkiye
³Department of Neurology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye

Keywords: COVID-19, neuromuscular disease, pandemic.

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to examine the pandemic-related attitudes and behaviors of adult individuals with neuromuscular disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Patients and methods: A total of 87 individuals (55 males, 32 females; mean age: 39.7±14.5 years; range, 19 to 80 years) with neuromuscular disease were included in the cross-sectional study between July 2022 and December 2022. After obtaining the demographic information of the individuals, information about neuromuscular disease and COVID-19, vaccination status, and their situation during the pandemic were questioned with yes/no or open-ended questions.

Results: While the most prevalent neuromuscular disease was spinal muscular atrophy (n=30, 34.5%), 72 (82.8%) individuals had no comorbities. Twenty-nine (33.3%) individuals had COVID-19, and seven (24.1%) of these individuals had COVID-19 with high severity. Eighty-two (94.3%) individuals were vaccinated. Among the individuals who had COVID-19, 10 (34.5%) individuals stated that their physical condition was worse than before the pandemic. Among the whole participants, 40 (48.3%) individuals stated that it was worse and much worse. Only 15 (17.2%) individuals continued to participate in physical therapy practices during the pandemic period. Forty-three (49.4%) individuals said that their social life was worse and much worse than before the pandemic.

Conclusion: The course of COVID-19 in individuals with neuromuscular disorders may not be as severe as expected. Further studies are needed to generalize these findings to the broader neuromuscular disease population.

Cite this article as: Kılınç M, Ayvat E, Onursal Kılınç Ö, Ayvat F, Doğan M, Sütçü Uçmak G, et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on adult individuals with neuromuscular disease. Turk J Neurol 2025;31(3):294-300. doi: 10.55697/tnd.2025.358.