Observational studyBMC neurology2022
Does COVID-19 increase the long-term relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis clinical activity? A cohort study.
Observational study in BMC neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- COVID-19 and the risk of CNS demyelinating diseases: A systematic review.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Pooled it
- COVID-19 and Radiological Progression of Multiple Sclerosis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Did COVID-19 Pandemic Change the Course of Multiple Sclerosis? A Retrospective Eight-Year Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Infection, Relapses, and Pseudo-Relapses in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.Neurology. Clinical practice · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on long-term outcomes in Parkinson's disease.European journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Effects of COVID-19 Infection on Symptom Severity and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis.Neurology · 2025Article
- Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Pre-Existing Essential Tremor After SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- COVID-19 and multiple sclerosis: challenges and lessons for patient care.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2024Review
- A Comprehensive Review of the Global Epidemiology, Clinical Management, Socio-Economic Impacts, and National Responses to Long COVID with Future Research Directions.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Prognostic indicators for hospitalization and ICU admission in people with multiple sclerosis and COVID-19: an analysis of the COVID-19 in MS global data sharing initiative dataset.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2024Article
- The impact of COVID-19 infection on multiple sclerosis disease course across 12 countries: a propensity-score-matched cohort study.Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders · 2024Article
- Long COVID and its association with neurodegenerative diseases: pathogenesis, neuroimaging, and treatment.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- SARS-CoV-2 and Multiple Sclerosis: Potential for Disease Exacerbation.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSome current evidence is pointing towards an association between COVID-19 and worsening of multiple sclerosis (MS), stressing the importance of preventing COVID-19 among people with MS (pwMS). However, population-based evidence regarding the long-term post-COVID-19 course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) was limited when this study was initiated.
objectiveTo detect possible changes in MS clinical disease activity after COVID-19.
methodsWe conducted an observational study from July 2020 until July 2021 in the Isfahan MS clinic, comparing the trends of probable disability progression (PDP) - defined as a three-month sustained increase in expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score - and relapses before and after probable/definitive COVID-19 diagnosis in a cohort of people with RRMS (pwRRMS).
resultsNinety pwRRMS were identified with definitive COVID-19, 53 of which were included in the final analysis. The PDP rate was significantly (0.06 vs 0.19, P = 0.04), and the relapse rate was insignificantly (0.21 vs 0.30, P = 0.30) lower post-COVID-19, compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. The results were maintained after offsetting by follow-up period in the matched binary logistic model. Survival analysis did not indicate significant difference in PDP-free (Hazard Ratio [HR] [95% CI]: 0.46 [0.12, 1.73], P = 0.25) and relapse-free (HR [95% CI]: 0.69 [0.31, 1.53], P = 0.36) survivals between the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. Sensitivity analysis resulted similar measurements, although statistical significance was not achieved.
conclusionWhile subject to replication in future research settings, our results did not confirm any increase in the long-term clinical disease activity measures after COVID-19 contraction among pwRRMS.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.