PwP and coronavirus 2019-nCoV

As the number of cases of coronavirus infection increases it is appropriate to look at some of the purely PD related issues.

I suspect that difficulties of movement caused by PD mean that it is harder for us to wash our hands most effectively. So, if the recommendation to the general public is to spend 20 seconds doing this, we may require 30 to 40 seconds.

Amantadine is a dopamine agonist taken by many PwP. It has anti-viral properties [1]:

"Amantadine and rimantadine appear to work, at least in part, by preventing newly synthesized viruses from being released from the host cell ... Amantadine and rimantadine are effective for reducing the duration of influenza A if given within 24 hours of symptom onset and may prevent the infection in close contacts of affected individuals."

Note: this does not mention coronavirus 2019-nCoV specifically. But [2] points out rimantadine was useful against SARS, a related coronavirus.

The Cochrane review gives a warning [3]:

"Both drugs have adverse gastrointestinal (stomach and gut) effects, but amantadine can also have serious effects on the nervous system. They should only be used in an emergency when all other measures fail."

Rimantadine has been trialed on PD [4]:

"rimantadine may be considered as an alternative to amantadine in patients experiencing amantadine-induced peripheral side effects."

John

References:

[1] Parkinson's Disease, ScienceDirect, 2017 Amantadine - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

[2] In vitro susceptibility of 1 clinical isolates of SARS coronavirus to selected antiviral compounds. - PubMed - NCBI

[3] Antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine for preventing and treating the symptoms of influenza A in adults | Cochrane

[4] Rimantadine in Parkinson's disease patients experiencing peripheral adverse effects from amantadine: Report of a case series | Request PDF