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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1514983

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and physical wellbeing of patients with Motor Neuron Disease and other neuromuscular disease

Provisionally accepted
Srestha Mazumder Srestha Mazumder 1,2*Antonia S Carroll Antonia S Carroll 2Hannah C Timmins Hannah C Timmins 1,2Matthew C Kiernan Matthew C Kiernan 1,2,3Colin J Mahoney Colin J Mahoney 4
  • 1 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia
  • 2 Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • 3 Department of Neurology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia
  • 4 South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background and aims: During the COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable populations faced worsening mental and physical well-being due to limited access to support systems and diverted health resources during lockdowns. Individuals with chronic neurological disorders including motor neuron disease (MND), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) were at considerable risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.The present study aimed to examine the psychological and physical impact of lockdowns on individuals with MND and other chronic neuromuscular disorders (non-MND).Methods: Online surveys were distributed to 58 patients, with information prospectively collected to capture demographics, COVID-19 concerns, resilience, loneliness, anxiety, and depression using validated measures. Disease severity and physical activity levels were also assessed. Data was analysed using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests.Results: MND patients consistently showed resilience regardless of their impairment level. In further support, those with non-MND conditions reported greater concern for their mental wellbeing and experienced significantly more loneliness than MND patients (p=0.005). Moderately to highly impaired non-MND patients experienced higher levels of loneliness (p=0.024), anxiety (p=0.006), and depression (p<0.001) compared to similarly impaired MND patients.These results suggest that despite having a poorer prognosis, MND patients demonstrate resilience, possibly reflecting increased social and allied health support.Neurobehavioral differences may also contribute to differing illness beliefs and behaviours. In the event of future pandemic events, additional targeted social supports, recreational activities, and allied health interventions may have a greater impact in reducing distress for those with CIDP and MMN.

    Keywords: Motor Neuron Disease, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, multifocal motor neuropathy, COVID-19, physical well-being, Mental Health

    Received: 22 Oct 2024; Accepted: 05 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Mazumder, Carroll, Timmins, Kiernan and Mahoney. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Srestha Mazumder, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.