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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Jan:57:103437.
doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103437. Epub 2021 Nov 30.

Characteristics of COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis

Fereshteh Ghadiri  1 , Mohammad Ali Sahraian  1 , Vahid Shaygannejad  2 , Fereshteh Ashtari  2 , Hamidreza Ghalyanchi Langroodi  3 , Seyed Mohammad Baghbanian  4 , Hossein Mozhdehipanah  5 , Nastaran Majdi-Nasab  6 , Samaneh Hosseini  7 , Maryam Poursadeghfard  8 , Nahid Beladimoghadam  9 , Nazanin Razazian  10 , Saeideh Ayoubi  1 , Nasim Rezaeimanesh  1 , Sharareh Eskandarieh  11 , Abdorreza Naser Moghadasi  12
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Characteristics of COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis

Fereshteh Ghadiri et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Regarding the high prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and COVID-19 in Iran, a multicenter study of COVID-19 in Iranian MS patients with is carried out to address the concerns of this population.

Methods: Data on MS patients with COVID-19 from nine provinces of Iran were entered in a web-based registry system, between July 2020 and March 2021. Among the COVID-19 symptoms, dyspnea, altered mental status, or those resulting in hospital admission were considered severe.

Results: A total of 397 eligible patients were identified. In addition, 310 (78%) were female. The mean age was 36.5 ± 9.5. 294 (74%) patients had relapsing- remitting form. Also, four patients (1%) expired due to COVID-19 infection. The mean duration of admission in hospitalized patients was 9 (± 5.3) days. MRI was performed on 111 (28%) patients after developing COVID-19. MRI changes were observed in 27 (24%) of these cases. MS drug was changed in 26 (6%) patients. Steroid use in the past three months (OR: 2.43, 95% CI: 1.003-5.88) (p value: 0.049) and antiCD20s (OR: 4.03, 95% CI: 2.41-6.68) (p value < 0.001) showed significant association with severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Conclusion: The death rate of COVID-19 among MS patients (1%) is lower than the overall death rate of the pandemic in Iran (3%). Those who received steroid in the past three months may be at increased risk of more severe forms of COVID-19. There are still doubts about the effect of anti CD20s on COVID-19 severity.

Keywords: COVID-19; Iran; Multiple sclerosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

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