Published by ICSEB at 17 March, 2020
In order to answer this question, we have to consider the following:
- The COVID-19 is a new disease that has recently transferred from an animal species to humans. Therefore, we know very little about it, it is only 3 months and 18 days old.
- We are not aware of any Filum Disease case with COVID-19. Although most likely there are tens of thousands.
- We know that patients with COVID-19 present fever, headache, dry cough and, in the most severe cases, respiratory distress which affects the lungs.
- The COVID-19 behaves similarly to a common flu. In the majority of cases, 80% can go unnoticed or with very few symptoms.
Given the above-mentioned considerations, we suppose that:
- The COVID-19 can increase the headache, as the intracranial pressure increases due to the infectious process and coughing, the latter being considered a Valsalva maneuvre. This can worsen the symptomatology of a possible descent of the cerebellar tonsils or Arnold-Chiari Syndrome Type I.
- Cough in COVID-19 can as well aggravate the symptomatology of a syringomyelic cavity, similarly to cough in common flu, that is to say, generally in a very mild way.
- Lung involvement in COVID-19 can add to the involvement of the respiratory centre in the brain stem, which can occur in the Filum Disease. This can as well aggravate a restrictive lung syndrome in a severe idiopathic scoliosis. In exceptional cases.
- With time, we will see whether COVID-19 affects other organs such as the nervous system, the cardiac system or others. This will condition the prognosis of the association Filum Disease and COVID-19. As far as we have observed, there is little or no possible involvement of other organs due to the COVID-19.
- In general, the Filum Disease does not represent an increased risk for the COVID-19.
