Objective: Report outcomes on patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and related disorders with COVID-19 illness.Methods: From March 16 to April 30 th , 2020, patients with MS or related disorders at NYU Langone MS Comprehensive Care Center (MSCC) were identified with laboratory-confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The diagnosis was established using a standardized questionnaire or by review of in-patient hospital records. Results: We identified 76 patients (55 with relapsing MS of which 9 had pediatric-onset;17 with progressive MS; and 4 with related disorders). 37 underwent PCR testing and were confirmed positive. Of the entire group, 64 (84%) patients were on disease-modifying therapy (DMT) including anti-CD20 therapies (n=34, 44.7%) and sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulators (n=10, 13.5%). The most common COVID-19 symptoms were fever and cough, but 21.1% of patients had neurologic symptom recrudescence preceding or coinciding with the infection. A total of 18 (23.7%) were hospitalized; 8 (10.5%) had COVID-19 critical illness or related death. Features more common among those hospitalized or with critical illness or death were older age, presence of comorbidities, progressive disease, and a non-ambulatory status. No DMT class was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or fatal outcome. Conclusions: Most MS patients with COVID-19 do not require hospitalization despite being on DMTs. Factors associated with critical illness were similar to the general 'at risk' patient population. DMT use did not emerge as a predictor of poor COVID-19 outcome in this preliminary sample.

Objective To use the large dataset from the Tysabri Outreach: Unified Commitment to Health (TOUCH) program to compare progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) risk with natalizumab extended interval dosing (EID) vs standard interval dosing (SID) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods This retrospective cohort study included anti-JC virus antibody-positive patients (n = 35,521) in the TOUCH database as of June 1, 2017. The effect of EID on PML risk was evaluated with 3 planned analyses using Kaplan-Meier methods stratified by prior immunosuppressant use. Risk of PML was analyzed by Cox regression adjusted for age, sex, prior immunosuppressants, time since natalizumab initiation, and cumulative number of infusions.

ObjectiveTo report outcomes on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and related disorders with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness.MethodsFrom March 16 to April 30, 2020, patients with MS or related disorders at NYU Langone MS Comprehensive Care Center were identified with laboratory-confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The diagnosis was established using a standardized questionnaire or by review of in-patient hospital records.ResultsWe identified 76 patients (55 with relapsing MS, of which 9 had pediatric onset; 17 with progressive MS; and 4 with related disorders). Thirty-seven underwent PCR testing and were confirmed positive. Of the entire group, 64 (84%) patients were on disease-modifying therapy (DMT) including anti-CD20 therapies (n = 34, 44.7%) and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators (n = 10, 13.5%). The most common COVID-19 symptoms were fever and cough, but 21.1% of patients had neurologic symptom recrudescence preceding or coinciding with the infection. A total of 18 (23.7%) were hospitalized; 8 (10.5%) had COVID-19 critical illness or related death. Features more common among those hospitalized or with critical illness or death were older age, presence of comorbidities, progressive disease, and a nonambulatory status. No DMT class was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization or fatal outcome.ConclusionsMost patients with MS with COVID-19 do not require hospitalization despite being on DMTs. Factors associated with critical illness were similar to the general at-risk patient population. DMT use did not emerge as a predictor of poor COVID-19 outcome in this preliminary sample.

Dosing intervals up to 8 weeks 5 days did not diminish effectiveness of NTZ therapy. Further monitoring is ongoing to evaluate if the risk of PML is reduced in patients on EID.

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Objective:To compare clinical and imaging features of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity between Black Americans (BA) and White Americans (WA) and evaluate the role of socioeconomic status.Methods:We compared BA and WA participants in the Multiple Sclerosis Partners Advancing Technology Health Solutions (MS PATHS) cohort with respect to MS characteristics including self-reported disability, objective neurologic function assessments, and quantitative brain MRI measurements, after covariate adjustment (including education level, employment, or insurance as socioeconomic indicators). In a subgroup, we evaluated within-race, neighborhood-level indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) using 9-digit ZIP codes.Results:Of 1,214 BAs and 7,530 WAs with MS, BAs were younger, had lower education level, and were more likely to have Medicaid insurance or be disabled or unemployed than WAs. BAs had worse self-reported disability (1.47-fold greater odds of severe vs. mild disability, 95% CI 1.18, 1.86) and worse performances on tests of cognitive processing speed (-5.06 fewer correct, CI -5.72, -4.41), walking (0.66 seconds slower, 95% CI 0.36, 0.96) and manual dexterity (2.11 seconds slower, 95% CI 1.69, 2.54). BAs had more brain MRI lesions and lower overall and gray matter brain volumes, including reduced thalamic (-0.77 mL, 95% CI -0.91, -0.64), cortical (-30.63 mL, 95% CI -35.93, -25.33), and deep (-1.58 mL, 95% CI -1.92, -1.23) gray matter volumes. While lower SES correlated with worse neuroperformance scores in WAs, this association was less clear in BA.Conclusion:We observed a greater burden of disease in BAs with MS relative to WAs with MS, despite adjustment for SES indicators. Beyond SES, future longitudinal studies should also consider roles of other societal constructs (e.g., systemic racism). Such studies will be important for identifying prognostic factors and optimal treatment strategies among BAs with MS is warranted.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) disease‐modifying therapies (DMTs) on the development of cellular and humoral immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. Methods Patients with MS aged 18 to 60 years were evaluated for anti‐nucleocapsid and anti‐Spike receptor‐binding domain (RBD) antibody with electro‐chemiluminescence immunoassay; antibody responses to Spike protein, RBD, N‐terminal domain with multiepitope bead‐based immunoassays (MBI); live virus immunofluorescence‐based microneutralization assay; T‐cell responses to SARS‐CoV‐2 Spike using TruCulture enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and IL‐2 and IFNγ ELISpot assays. Assay results were compared by DMT class. Spearman correlation and multivariate analyses were performed to examine associations between immunologic responses and infection severity. Results Between January 6, 2021, and July 21, 2021, 389 patients with MS were recruited (mean age 40.3 years; 74% women; 62% non‐White). Most common DMTs were ocrelizumab (OCR)—40%; natalizumab —17%, Sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor (S1P) modulators −12%; and 15% untreated. One hundred seventy‐seven patients (46%) had laboratory evidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection; 130 had symptomatic infection, and 47 were asymptomatic. Antibody responses were markedly attenuated in OCR compared with other groups (p ≤0.0001). T‐cell responses (IFNγ) were decreased in S1P (p = 0.03), increased in natalizumab (p <0.001), and similar in other DMTs, including OCR. Cellular and humoral responses were moderately correlated in both OCR (r = 0.45, p = 0.0002) and non‐OCR (r = 0.64, p <0.0001). Immune responses did not differ by race/ethnicity. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) clinical course was mostly non‐severe and similar across DMTs; 7% (9/130) were hospitalized. Interpretation DMTs had differential effects on humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Immune responses did not correlate with COVID‐19 clinical severity in this relatively young and nondisabled group of patients with MS. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:782–795