People with MS no more at risk of contracting COVID-19 to the general population
Researchers followed almost 4,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK between 17 March to 24 April 2020, which was early in the virus outbreak.
Over this time, six per cent of the group (237 people) reported having self-diagnosed Covid-19, among whom 23 per cent had a diagnosis from a health professional based on their symptoms and 15 per cent had it confirmed by testing. Of these, three went to hospital, and no deaths were reported.
The researchers compared this data to more than 1,200 siblings of the participants who didn’t have MS, of whom six per cent had a reported diagnosis of Covid 19. They concluded that the risk of contracting the virus was similar for people with MS and those without.
The data outlined in the paper, published in the British Medical Journal, indicated that self-isolating had an effect. Of those with MS who said they had been self-isolating, three per cent had self-diagnosed Covid, whereas 4.5 per cent of those who didn’t self-isolate reported having the virus.
However, self-isolating was found to only have an effect on self-reported cases, not cases confirmed by a medical professional.
The researchers also found that people with MS who were taking immunomodulatory treatments didn’t have an increased risk of contracting the virus.
There were also racial disparities – the researchers found evidence that people with MS with any ethnicity other than white had a higher chance of contracting Covid 19, but said larger numbers are required to confirm this.
Due to the lack of testing early on in the UK’s outbreak of the virus, the study had to rely largely on participants self-reporting their Covid status, which may skew the study’s findings.
Emma Gray, assistant director of research at the MS Society, said: “While this study indicates people with MS show similar risk of contracting COVID-19 to the general population, the data was taken during the early stages of lockdown when many people with MS were shielding and staying at home.
“We’re proud to have funded this research but it’s important to acknowledge that we don’t know what will happen as measures are relaxed, and the data doesn’t tell us how severe people’s COVID-19 symptoms were if they did contract it.
“Furthermore, although the study found no link between MS disease modifying treatments and contracting COVID-19, the study didn’t contain enough people on each individual treatment to determine their risk – and neurologists still believe the risk of COVID-19 differs depending on what MS treatment someone takes. We’re continuing to conduct vital research on how the MS community is affected.”
