Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40952740›Full record

ArticleJAMA network open2025

Pregnancy-Related Disease Outcomes in Women With Moderate to Severe Multiple Sclerosis Disability.

Jessica Shipley, Heidi N Beadnall, Paul G Sanfilippo, Wei Zhen Yeh, Dana Horakova, Eva Kubala Havrdova, Pavel Hradilek, Tomas Kalincik, Izanne Roos, Alexandre Prat and 30 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in JAMA network open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Maternal disease control and pregnancy outcomes with anti-CD20 therapy versus natalizumab in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

40 authors.

Jessica ShipleyDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Heidi N BeadnallBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Paul G SanfilippoDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Wei Zhen YehDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Dana HorakovaDepartment of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
Eva Kubala HavrdovaDepartment of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
Pavel HradilekDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Tomas KalincikNeuroimmunology Centre, Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Izanne RoosNeuroimmunology Centre, Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Alexandre PratCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Marc GirardCentre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Zuzana RousDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Zbysek PavelekDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Hradec Králové, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Oliver H H GerlachAcademic MS Center Zuyd, Department of Neurology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands.
Jeannette Lechner-ScottHunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Raed AlroughaniDivision of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Amiri Hospital, Sharq, Kuwait.
Serkan OzakbasIzmir University of Economics, Medical Point Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Marek PeterkaDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Katherine BuzzardDepartment of Neurology, Box Hill Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Olga G SkibinaDepartment of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Davide MaimoneCentro Sclerosi Multipla, Unità Operativa Complessa di Neurologia, Azienda Ospedaliera per l'Emergenza Cannizzaro, Catania, Italy.
Matteo FoschiDepartment of Neuroscience, MS Center, Neurology Unit, Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale (AUSL) Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Andrea SurcinelliDepartment of Neuroscience, MS Center, Neurology Unit, Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale (AUSL) Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Rana KarabudakDepartment of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Daniele L A SpitaleriAzienda Ospedaliera di Rilievo Nazionale San Giuseppe Moscati Avellino, Avellino, Italy.
Alessandra LugaresiDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italia.
Valentina TomassiniInstitute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
Riadh GouiderDepartment of Neurology, Clinical Investigation Centre for Neurosciences and Mental Health, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
Saloua MrabetDepartment of Neurology, Clinical Investigation Centre for Neurosciences and Mental Health, Razi University Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
Beatriz Romero FerrandoDepartment of Neurology, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Suzanne HodgkinsonImmune Tolerance Laboratory Ingham Institute and Department of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Pavel ŠtouracDepartment of Neurology, Masaryk University Brno and University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Joana GuimarãesDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar Universitario de São João, Porto, Portugal.
Nevin A JohnDepartment of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Richard A L MacdonellAustin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Jose E Meca-LallanaMultiple Sclerosis Centro, Servicio y Unidad de Referencia (CSUR), Clinical Neuroimmunology Unit, Neurology Department, Virgen de la Arrixaca Clinical University Hospital (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
Helmut ButzkuevenDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Anneke van der WaltDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Vilija G JokubaitisDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
MSBase Investigator Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Understanding the association between pregnancy and clinical outcomes in women with moderate to severe multiple sclerosis (MS) disability is crucial for guiding family planning and management strategies. Objective: To assess peripregnancy relapse activity and disability progression in women with a preconception Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 3 or higher. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter retrospective cohort study used data from the MSBase Registry, with clinical observations spanning 1984 through 2024. Study cohorts included pregnant women with MS with a preconception EDSS score of 3 or higher (range: 3-10, with higher scores indicating more severe MS-related disability) and propensity score-matched nonpregnant women with MS (controls). Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were peripregnancy annualized relapse rates (ARRs) and time to 6-month confirmed disability worsening (CDW). Results: A total of 1631 women with MS were included, of whom 575 were in the pregnant cohort (median [IQR] age at pregnancy, 32.5 [29.1-36.1] years) and 1056 were in the nonpregnant cohort (median [IQR] age, 32.6 [27.5-37.2] years). The median (range) preconception EDSS score was 3.5 (3.0-7.5). Relapse activity decreased during pregnancy, with a 75% reduction in ARR during the first trimester (rate ratio [RR], 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.43), and increased to 36% above preconception levels in the first 3 months post partum (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.06-1.75). Relapse during pregnancy was associated with a higher preconception ARR (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% CI, 1.10-2.20) and preconception use of natalizumab (OR, 4.42; 95% CI, 1.24-23.57) or fingolimod (OR, 14.07; 95% CI, 2.81-91.30). Older age (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85-0.99) and continuation of disease-modifying therapy into pregnancy (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19-1.00) were associated with reduced risk. Disease-modifying therapy reinitiation within 1 month post partum was associated with lower odds of early postpartum relapse (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.86). There was no significant difference in time to CDW between the pregnant and nonpregnant groups (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% CI, 0.96-1.38). However, ARR during pregnancy (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.13-1.65) and postpartum EDSS score higher than 4 (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.80-4.03) were associated with shorter time to CDW. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, women with moderate to severe MS disability exhibited a pattern of peripregnancy relapse activity similar to that reported in women with less disability. Pregnancy was not associated with worse long-term disability outcomes, although optimizing disease control in the peripregnancy period remained critical.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisPregnancy ComplicationsPregnancy OutcomeAdultDisability EvaluationDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansPregnancyRecurrenceRegistriesRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness Index

Identifiers

PMID40952740
PMCPMC12439057

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