COVID-19 is associated with new symptoms of multiple sclerosis that are prevented by disease modifying therapies

Garjani, Afagh, Middleton, Rodden, Tuite-Dalton, Katherine, Coles, Alasdair, Dobson, Ruth, Duddy, Martin, Hughes, Stella, Pearson, Owen, Rog, David, Tallantyre, Emma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3760-6634, das Nair, Roshan, Nicholas, Richard and Evangelou, Nikos 2021. COVID-19 is associated with new symptoms of multiple sclerosis that are prevented by disease modifying therapies. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders 52 , 102939. 10.1016/j.msard.2021.102939

	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (192kB)
	PDF - Supplemental Material Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (76kB)
	PDF - Supplemental Material Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (65kB)

Abstract

Background Infections can trigger exacerbations of multiple sclerosis (MS). The effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on MS are not known. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on new and pre-existing symptoms of MS. Methods The COVID-19 and MS study is an ongoing community-based, prospective cohort study conducted as part of the United Kingdom MS Register. People with MS and COVID-19 were invited by email to complete a questionnaire about their MS symptoms during the infection. An MS exacerbation was defined as developing new MS symptoms and/or worsening of pre-existing MS symptoms. Results Fifty-seven percent (230/404) of participants had an MS exacerbation during their infection; 82 developed new MS symptoms, 207 experienced worsened pre-existing MS symptoms, and 59 reported both. Disease modifying therapies (DMTs) reduced the likelihood of developing new MS symptoms during the infection (OR 0.556, 95%CI 0.316–0.978). Participants with a higher pre-COVID-19 webEDSS (web-based Expanded Disability Status Scale) score (OR 1.251, 95%CI 1.060–1.478) and longer MS duration (OR 1.042, 95%CI 1.009–1.076) were more likely to experience worsening of their pre-existing MS symptoms during the infection. Conclusion COVID-19 infection was associated with exacerbation of MS. DMTs reduced the chance of developing new MS symptoms during the infection.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	2211-0348
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 April 2021
Date of Acceptance:	5 April 2021
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2024 03:54
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/140490

Citation Data

Cited 14 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item