MSAA research update, May 2022:
https://mymsaa.org/news/whats-new-in-ms-research-may-2022/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=whats_new_ms_researchSome interesting findings here--for instance, this from
Neurology:
People with MS at double the baseline risk of acquiring infection during hospital stayPeople with multiple sclerosis face almost twice the risk of other people for acquiring an infection while hospitalized, according to a recent analysis involving more than 115,000 people with MS.9
Researchers examined data on adults admitted to hospitals within the United States in 2018 for non-infection-related causes. They found that 0.93% of people with MS acquired an infection during their time in the hospital, as opposed to 0.50% of other people. Those statistics translate into an adjusted related risk of 1.91, or just under double the chances for becoming infected.
Noting that the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) increases the risk of opportunistic infections, the study’s authors noted that their findings “underscore the importance of hospital infection control measures, ensuring individuals with MS do not exceed the maximum duration of certain medications, are appropriately immunized, and receive necessary viral testing before and during treatment.”
And this, also from Neurology:Examining how various MS medications affect post-vaccination risk of COVID-19British researchers report that the risk for contracting COVID-19 following vaccination against the virus varies considerably based on which disease-modifying therapy (DMT) people with multiple sclerosis are taking.8
People receiving Ocrevus® (ocrelizumab) faced a 2.18 greater risk of developing COVID-19 post-vaccination relative to the general population, while those taking beta-interferon DMTs and glatiramer acetate (marketed as Copaxone® and by other names) had a lower risk than the general population. The post-vaccination risk of infection compared to that of the general population for people on other DMTs was:- Aubagio® (teriflunomide): 1.04
- Mavenclad® (cladribine): 1.21
- Tysabri (natalizumab): 1.22
- Tecfidera® (dimethyl fumarate): 1.34
- Gilenya® (fingolimod): 1.63
- The investigators arrived at their findings by examining data on all 42,402 people in England who are receiving DMTs for treatment of MS. They found that more than 28,000 of those people had been tested for COVID-19, with 4,104 testing positive for coronavirus.
Clinicians and patients must weigh many factors when selecting a DMT. COVID-related considerations clearly are important, but need to be assessed in the larger context of different medications’ efficacy, overall safety profile, dosing regimen, and other characteristics in order to identify the disease-modifying therapy best suited to an individual.
[References omitted]