Covid-19 among Multiple Sclerosis Patients and its Outcomes

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease and has resulted in 4533645 deaths until September first, 2021. Since Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients receive Immunosuppressive drugs there is a concern that these drugs will reduce the patient's immune system resistance against COVID19. Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the epidemiology of COVID19 and it's impact on MS patients in our university hospital in Tehran, Iran. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on hospital-based registry data from May 2020 to March 2021. Among more than 500 registered MS patients in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran who referred within the period of time of our study, 84 patients were reported of infection by SARS-COV2. The diagnosis of MS was confirmed by the McDonald criteria and the diagnosis of COVID-19 in MS patients was made by real time-PCR technique and chest computed tomography. Results: Out of 84 MS patients who were infected by SARS-COV2, 55(65.5%) were women and their mean age was 37.48 years. The most commonly used drugs by MS patients were Rituximab 20 (26.3%) and Dimethyl Fumarate 14(18.4%).Totally 9(10.8%) of the patients needed to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 with mean hospitalization duration of 5.88 days. A total of 1 (1.2%) death was reported. Discussion: In comparison to normal population, it seems that COVID-19 is not more serious in MS patients. Most of the MS patients with COVID-19 infection were not hospitalized and continued their medication during the course of the infection.