Multiple Sclerosis (MS) involves communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body due to immune attacks on axons and myelin in the central nervous system. Below are COVID news and research updates that specifically relate to MS.
In a research article published yesterday in Frontiers in Oncology, COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) safety was evaluated in a population of 566 immunocompromised patients including those with hematological malignancies (131), solid tumors (191), immune-rheumatological diseases (86), and neurological disease (158) including multiple sclerosis and generalized myasthenia.
Read More »Autoimmune disease is currently considered a risk factor for severe COVID-19. A research article published in Rheumatology last Fall summarized 30-day outcomes of autoimmune disease (AD) patients following hospitalization with COVID-19. AD patients diagnosed and/or hospitalized between January and June 2020 with COVID-19 were included, and their 30 day outcomes were compared to patients with at least one AD hospitalized with influenza from September 2017 through April 2018.
Read More »A comment piece published in The Lancet Rheumatology examined the results of a questionnaire assessing adverse events in those with autoimmune disease (AD) following their first COVID-19 vaccination. Participants were asked (but not obligated) to recruit a “healthy” control of similar age and sex. They were asked whether they had 1) received a COVID-19 vaccine 2) if so, whether they experienced any local or systemic adverse events in the 7 days following vaccination 3) if so, to report the severity and duration of such adverse events. Patients were also asked to monitor any changes in their autoimmune disease for up to two months post-vaccination.
Read More »A study published in Nature has shown that multiple sclerosis patients undergoing anti-CD20 therapy were able to create robust T-cells following vaccination with an mRNA vaccine.
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