United States: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) fear their brain or nerve disease could progress rapidly after they contract COVID-19.
Scientific findings from December 23 showed in the journal Neurology that MS patients experience no additional disease progression from COVID-19.
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According to the researcher Amber Salter, an associate professor of biostatistics with UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, “Infections may be associated with more disability among people with MS,” US News reported.
“However, our study found that for COVID-19 infections specifically, this was not true,” Salter added.
Furthermore, “This is good news for people with MS, that they do not need to worry about long-term worsening of their MS symptoms after a COVID-19 infection,” Salter continued.
Earlier studied suggestions
The studies held before this one revealed that COVID infection could make MS symptoms more severe, especially during long COVID symptom periods.
Researchers monitored MS patients for more than 18 months while tracking more than 2,100 individuals. COVID infected 37 percent of the study patients.
The study tracked patients through six symptom severity assessments during its duration. This health challenge targeted patients through weakened muscles while developing visual changes and sensations of numbness.
Each patient reported their walking progress and hand coordination, then detailed the impact on body discomfort and brain functions, including mental health.
The study found identical MS symptom patterns appeared in participants with and without COVID-19 infection.
Research teams found that having COVID did not lead to more severe disability in patients with MS.
“Our study indicates that COVID-19 infection was not associated with immediate changes in symptom severity or disability, nor did it change the MS symptoms or disability trajectory for more than a year and a half after the infection,” Salter added.
The team from research specifically examined elderly patients diagnosed with MS, who averaged 65 years of age.
Additionally “While our study looked primarily at older people and results may not be the same for younger people, these findings help us better understand how this type of infection can affect people with MS,” Salter concluded.