COVID-19 Infection Not Linked to Changes in MS Symptom Severity

THURSDAY, Dec. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 infection is not associated with immediate changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom severity or disability, according to a study published online Dec. 23 in Neurology.

Amber Salter, Ph.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the association of COVID-19 infection with changes in the trajectory of MS symptoms, as measured using the SymptoMScreen (SMSS), and disability in a controlled interrupted time series.

Data were included from a COVID-19 infection cohort, composed of 796 participants with three or more surveys before and after the index survey, and an uninfected cohort of 1,336 participants who reported never having COVID-19 or other infections in the previous six months and had the requisite number of surveys completed. The researchers found that the SMSS score increased nominally over time in both cohorts and the change over time did not differ between cohorts before or after COVID-19 infection. Within the COVID-19 cohort, the immediate effect of COVID-19 infection on the SMSS total score was minimal, with no difference observed between cohorts. Similar findings were seen for disability.

“These findings enhance our general understanding of the consequences of infection in people with MS and are reassuring regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the course of MS,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

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