Table 1.
Selected registries and key contributions to COVID-19 risk assessment in MS
| Registry | Country of origin | Largest MS cohort | Key contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) Global Data Sharing Initiative | Global (HQ in UK) | 5648 | Harmonized data collection through multiple pooled registries24,26 |
| North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) | United States | 4955 | Survey showed high rates (84.1%) of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and determined reasons for vaccine hesitancy in PwMS96 |
| COVID-19 Infections in MS & Related Diseases (COViMS) | United States | 1626 | Risk factors for poor outcome with COVID-19 include increased disability, older age, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, black race, anti-CD20 DMT, and recent corticosteroid treatment25; pregnancy outcomes are no worse in PwMS35 |
| Multiple Sclerosis and COVID-19 (MuSC-19) | Italy | 1362 | Increased risk of poor COVID-19 outcome in PwMS with EDSS >3 or at least 1 comorbidity28 and use of anti-CD20 DMT32 |
| Covisep | France | 347 | Age, EDSS 6 or higher, and obesity were found to be independent risk factors for hospitalization with COVID-1927 |
| German MS Register | Germany | Hundreds | Contributed to the Global Data Sharing Initiative, and provided evidence that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination does not increase risk of relapse83 |
| UK MS Register | UK | 404 | Multiple studies, including those that described common symptoms of self-diagnosed COVID-19 in PwMS38 and determined that PwMS commonly experienced amplification of MS symptoms during COVID-19 infection; an effect that was attenuated by DMT46 |
| Swedish MS Registry | Sweden | 17692 | Corroborated increased risk of hospitalization with COVID-19 in PwMS on anti-CD20 DMT but suggested that this risk may be more modest than the risk associated with older age, increased disability, and medical comorbidities34 |
| MSBase COVID-19 Substudy | Australia | Thousands | Most notable publications relating to COVID-19 were under the auspices of the Global Data Sharing Initiative above |
Abbreviations: HQ – headquartered; PwMS – people with MS; DMT – disease-modifying therapy.