RESUMO
Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a vulnerable group for severe COVID-19, particularly those taking immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). We examined the characteristics of COVID-19 severity in an international sample of people with MS. Methods: Data from 12 data-sources in 28 countries were aggregated. Demographic and clinical covariates were queried, alongside COVID-19 clinical severity outcomes, hospitalisation, admission to ICU, requiring artificial ventilation, and death. Characteristics of outcomes were assessed in patients with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression. Results: 657 (28.1%) with suspected and 1,683 (61.9%) with confirmed COVID-19 were analysed. Older age, progressive MS-phenotype, and higher disability were associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. Compared to dimethyl fumarate, ocrelizumab and rituximab were associated with hospitalisation (aOR=1.56,95%CI=1.01-2.41; aOR=2.43,95%CI=1.48-4.02) and ICU admission (aOR=2.30,95%CI=0.98-5.39; aOR=3.93,95%CI=1.56-9.89), though only rituximab was associated with higher risk of artificial ventilation (aOR=4.00,95%CI=1.54-10.39). Compared to pooled other DMTs, ocrelizumab and rituximab were associated with hospitalisation (aOR=1.75,95%CI=1.29-2.38; aOR=2.76,95%CI=1.87-4.07) and ICU admission (aOR=2.55,95%CI=1.49-4.36; aOR=4.32,95%CI=2.27-8.23) but only rituximab with artificial ventilation (aOR=6.15,95%CI=3.09-12.27). Compared to natalizumab, ocrelizumab and rituximab were associated with hospitalisation (aOR=1.86,95%CI=1.13-3.07; aOR=2.88,95%CI=1.68-4.92) and ICU admission (aOR=2.13,95%CI=0.85-5.35; aOR=3.23,95%CI=1.17-8.91), but only rituximab with ventilation (aOR=5.52,95%CI=1.71-17.84). Importantly, associations persisted on restriction to confirmed COVID-19 cases. No associations were observed between DMTs and death. Conclusions: Using the largest cohort of people with MS and COVID-19 available, we demonstrated consistent associations of rituximab with increased risk of hospitalisation, ICU admission, and requiring artificial ventilation, and ocrelizumab with hospitalisation and ICU admission, suggesting their use may be a risk factor for more severe COVID-19.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between contingent negative variation (CNV), which is an event-related potential, and cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been examined previously. The primary objective of the present study was thus to determine the association between CNV and cognition in a sample of MS patients. METHODS: The subjects of this study comprised 66 MS patients [50 with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 16 with secondary progressive MS (SPMS)] and 40 matched healthy volunteers. A neuropsychological battery was administered to all of the subjects; CNV recordings were made from the Cz, Fz, and Pz electrodes, and the amplitude and area under the curve (AUC) were measured at each electrode. RESULTS: RRMS patients exhibited CNVs with lower amplitudes and smaller AUCs than the controls at Pz. SPMS patients exhibited CNVs with lower amplitudes and smaller AUCs than the controls, and CNVs with a smaller amplitude than the RRMS patients at both Cz and Pz. After correcting for multiple comparisons, a lower CNV amplitude at Pz was significantly associated with worse performance on measures of speed of information processing, verbal fluency, verbal learning, and verbal recall. CONCLUSIONS: CNV may serve as a marker for disease progression and cognitive dysfunction in MS. Further studies with larger samples and wider electrode coverage are required to fully assess the value of CNV in these areas.
