COVID-19 linked to increased risk of physical disability progression … – Healio

October 19, 2023

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In a cohort of individuals with MS, a diagnosis of COVID-19 was linked to an increased risk of disability progression compared with those without, according to a presentation from ECTRIMS 2023.

Important research is ongoing trying to find environmental triggers that could cause exacerbations in MS where infections have been proposed as a possible trigger, Jan Hillert, MD, PhD, professor of neurology in the department of clinical neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues wrote.

Hillert and fellow researchers sought to examine the impact of COVID-19 on physical disability progression in patients with MS at Karolinska University Hospital, assessed by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores.

Their retrospective cohort study included 231 individuals with MS (without reported COVID-19 infection, n = 143; with reported COVID-19 infection, n = 88), as well as data on clinicodemographic variables and EDSS scores between September 2017 and February 2023 collected from the Swedish MS registry and/or electronic journal system. TakeCare. Researchers compared EDSS changes in participants with reported COVID-19 infection against those without from January 2020 to October 2021. Logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs for EDSS progression depending on status of COVID-19 infection, adjusted for relevant clinicodemographic variables.

According to results, participants with reported COVID-19 infection registered an increased risk of EDSS progression compared to those without reported COVID-19 infection (OR = 8.20; 95% CI, 1.62-41.51).

The results indicate that COVID-19 infection was associated with EDSS worsening, Hillert and colleagues wrote. However, additional studies in bigger cohorts are required for more robust conclusions.

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Hillert J, et al. The effect of COVID-19 infection on physical disability progression in MS patients at Karolinska University Hospital. Presented at: ECTRIMS 2023; Oct. 11-13, 2023; Milan.

Disclosures: Hillert reports receiving honoraria for serving on advisory boards for Biogen, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Janssen, Merck KGaA, Novartis, Sandoz and Sanofi-Genzyme and speakers fees from Biogen, Janssen, Novartis, Merck, Sandoz, Sanofi-Genzyme and Teva,; serving as principal investigator for projects sponsored by, or received unrestricted research support from, Biogen, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Janssen, Merck KGaA, Novartis, Roche and Sanofi-Genzyme; receiving funding for MS research from the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Brain foundation. Please see the study for all other authors relevant financial disclosures.

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