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Case Reports
. 2020 Sep:44:102250.
doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102250. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Covid-19 in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab: May the blockade of integrins have a protective role?

Clara Aguirre  1 , Virginia Meca-Lallana  2 , Ana Barrios-Blandino  3 , Beatriz Del Río  2 , Jose Vivancos  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Covid-19 in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab: May the blockade of integrins have a protective role?

Clara Aguirre et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

The disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is currently spread worldwide . Recent data supports SARS-CoV-2 may use integrins to enter human cells. Therefore, anti-integrins therapies might be an alternative against the infection . Natalizumab, approved for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) treatment, acts blocking α4-integrin. We report a MS patient treated with natalizumab who develops COVID-19, with excellent recovery and repeated negative results in 5 consecutive microbiological studies. We postulate this may be due to the blockade of integrins induced by natalizumab.

Keywords: COVID-19; Integrins; Multiple Sclerosis; Natalizumab; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The Authors declares that there is no conflict of interest. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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