Motor and respiratory decline in patients with late onset Pompe disease after cessation of enzyme replacement therapy during COVID-19 pandemic

Background and purpose Data on interruption of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) are scarce in late onset Pompe disease. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, eight neuromuscular reference centers in France were obligated to stop the treatment for 31 patients. Methods We collected the motor and respiratory data from our French registry, before COVID-19 and at treatment restart. Results In 2.2 months (mean), patients showed a significant deterioration of 37 m (mean) in the 6-min walk test and a loss of 210 ml (mean) of forced vital capacity, without ad integrum restoration after 3 months of ERT restart. Conclusions This national study based on data from the French Pompe Registry shows that the interruption of ERT, even as short as a few months, worsens Pompe patients' motor and respiratory function.

Automated summary

This French study shows that even a few months of interruption in ERT can worsen the motor and respiratory function of patients with Pompe disease.