Research Highlight: Study on COVID‑19 in Children With Neuromuscular Disorders
Study from the Neuromuscular Working Group of the Spanish Pediatric Neurology Society
The NMD4C would like to highlight a paper from the Neuromuscular Working Group of the Spanish Pediatric Neurology Society, who have recently published a study which aims to describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 in the pediatric NMD patient population.
The most prevalent NMD in the study were SMA type 1 and 2 (including patients undergoing treatment with nusinersen, risdiplam or salbutamol), and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (including patients undergoing treatment with deflazacort), along with several other neuromuscular conditions.
Although derived from a small sample size, the study’s conclusions suggest that the course of COVID-19 in pediatric NMD populations may not be as severe as expected, due to the mitigating role of young age compared to risk factors including decreased respiratory capacity or a weak cough.
The NMD4C hopes to see further studies published which examine the impact of the COVID-19 virus across both adult and pediatric NMD populations to further our knowledge of its impact within our community.
Read the full article here
Read next...
Six Annual NMD4C and MDC Clinical Fellowship Competition from Opens May 1st
Together, NMD4C and MDC are excited to open our 2027 annual funding competition to provide clinical fellowship award(s) in neuromuscular medicine and electromyography (EMG)! This annual funding competition provides one-year salary support ($80,000) for early-career clinicians to participate in Canadian neuromuscular medicine and EMG fellowship training programs.
Announcing the 2026 NMD4C Award Recipients
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 NMD4C Awards, recognizing excellence, leadership, and impact across Canada’s neuromuscular research community. In this fourth cycle, the program introduces two new award categories, and expand on our ability to celebrate the work of contributions of trainees and patient partners who strengthen our national network.
Expanding Our Impact: NMD4C BSTC Launches New Subcommittees and Welcomes New Members
We are so excited to introduce the new members of the NMD4C Basic Science Trainee Committee! This enthusiastic group of researchers from across the country is stepping up to contribute to some of our most important initiatives for trainees.