Management, vaccination status and COVID-19 morbidity of patients with Gaucher disease in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic = Behandlung, Impfstatus und COVID-19-Morbidität von Patienten mit Morbus Gaucher in Deutschland während der SARS-CoV2-Pandemie
Background: Continuation of standard management of Gaucher disease (GD) has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in infrequent/missed infusions and follow-up appointments. Little data are available on the consequences of these changes and on the SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations in German...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
10.01.2023
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für Gastroenterologie
Year: 2023, Volume: 61, Issue: 04, Pages: 375-380 |
| ISSN: | 1439-7803 |
| DOI: | 10.1055/a-1821-9009 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1821-9009 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/a-1821-9009 
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| Author Notes: | Claus Niederau, Claudia Regenbogen, Hans-Martin Fruehauf, Martin Merkel, Athanasia Ziagaki, Eugen Mengel, Christoph Baerwald, Nicole Muschol, Christian Staufner, Christina Lampe, Anton Gillessen, Jan Philipp Koehler, Stephan vom Dahl |
| Summary: | Background: Continuation of standard management of Gaucher disease (GD) has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in infrequent/missed infusions and follow-up appointments. Little data are available on the consequences of these changes and on the SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations in German GD patients. Methods: A survey with 22 questions about GD management during the pandemic was sent to 19 German Gaucher centres. It was answered by 11/19 centres caring for 257 GD patients (almost ¾ of the German GD population); 245 patients had type 1 and 12 had type 3 GD; 240 were ≥ 18 years old. Results: Monitoring intervals were prolonged in 8/11 centres from a median of 9 to 12 months. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) was changed to home ERT in 4 patients and substituted by oral substrate reduction therapy (SRT) in 6 patients. From March 2020 to October 2021, no serious complications of GD were documented. Only 4 SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported (1.6%). Two infections were asymptomatic and two mild; all occurred in adult type 1, non-splenectomized patients on ERT. Vaccination rate in adult GD was 79.5% (95.3% mRNA vaccines). Serious vaccination complications were not reported. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has lowered the threshold for switching from practice- or hospital-based ERT to home therapy or to SRT. No major GD complication was documented during the pandemic. Infection rate with SARS-CoV-2 in GD may rather be lower than expected, and its severity is mild. Vaccination rates are high in GD patients and vaccination was well tolerated. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 23.06.2023 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1439-7803 |
| DOI: | 10.1055/a-1821-9009 |