Multiple sclerosis and covid-19: a retrospective study in Iran (PP-33)

Objectives

As the previous studies showed that COVID-19 has a higher rate of infection and hospitalization in Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than the general population and limited studies considered the impact of COVID-19 infection and vaccination in patients with MS in Iran, we decided to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 infection, the effectiveness of vaccination, and factors associated with the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination in MS patients.
 
Methods

The registered data of MS patients in a referral clinic in Kerman, one of the large cities in Iran, was used to explore the association of demographic variables, the history of COVID-19 vaccination and the clinical outcomes.
 
Results

From 367 participants of this study, 89.4% were vaccinated against COVID-19 and 35.4% were infected with COVID-19. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that gender (OR=2.647, 95% confidence interval: 1.219,5.746) and employment status (OR=3.041, 95% confidence interval: 1.594,5.802), were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19. And the only factor associated with the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination was the type of vaccine (AstraZeneca).
 
Conclusion
In this study a Significant percentage of MS patients were received at least one dose of vaccine and the incidence of COVID-19 infection was much higher before vaccination, which it recalls the important role of vaccination in control of COVID-19. Although side effects rates in almost all vaccine groups were high, but AstraZeneca caused the most side effects, so it’s better to be aware of vaccine side effect before vaccination. In our study the male gender and employed status were the most important variables in the prevalence of COVID-19 in MS patients.