TY - JOUR T1 - Self-diagnosed COVID-19 in people with multiple sclerosis: a community-based cohort of the UK MS Register JF - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry JO - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry SP - 107 LP - 109 DO - 10.1136/jnnp-2020-324449 VL - 92 IS - 1 AU - Nikos Evangelou AU - Afagh Garjani AU - Roshan dasNair AU - Rachael Hunter AU - Katherine A Tuite-Dalton AU - Elaine M Craig AU - William J Rodgers AU - Alasdair Coles AU - Ruth Dobson AU - Martin Duddy AU - David Vincent Ford AU - Stella Hughes AU - Owen Pearson AU - Linda A Middleton AU - David Rog AU - Emma Clare Tallantyre AU - Tim Friede AU - Rodden M Middleton AU - Richard Nicholas Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/1/107.abstract N2 - In the early phases of the UK COVID-19 outbreak, in the absence of clear evidence about the risks for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) and those taking immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies (DMT), we launched a community-based study as part of the UK MS Register (UKMSR). We intended to capture the picture of COVID-19 among pwMS and their risk of contracting the disease. Here, we report our findings from 17 March to 24 April 2020.The COVID-19 study (clinicaltrials.gov:NCT04354519) is a prospective observational cohort launched on 17 March 2020 as part of the UKMSR (Ethics:16/SW/0194). PwMS completed a specific COVID-19 related survey which was combined with data held from before the pandemic where available. The primary outcome of the study is participant-reported self-diagnosis of COVID-19. Participants were asked if their diagnosis was confirmed by testing—the available test in the UK was reverse transcriptase-PCR. Participants reported if their sibling without MS, closest in age who was not living with them, had self-diagnosed COVID-19. The likelihood of having COVID-19 was assessed using multivariable regression analysis with the variables: age, gender, ethnicity, MS duration and type, self-isolation and DMTs. DMTs were considered after stratifying based on moderate-efficacy versus high-efficacy therapies (table 1). Disability was assessed using the last recorded web-based Expanded Disability Status Scale (webEDSS) or MS Impact Scale v2 (MSIS-29v2).View this table:In this windowIn a new windowTable 1 Distribution of individual disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among participants of the COVID-19 studyAs of 24 April, out of 3910 participants, 237 (6.1% (95% CI 5.3% to 6.8%)) reported self-diagnosed COVID-19 among whom 54 (22.8% (17.5% to 28.2%)) also had a diagnosis by a healthcare professional based on symptoms and 37 (15.6% (11.2% to 20.6%)) a confirmed diagnosis by testing. Three participants reported hospitalisation due to COVID-19. No deaths were reported.Among 1283 siblings without MS, 79 (6.2%) had a reported diagnosis of COVID-19. … ER -