Table 2.
Clinical, demographic, and rituximab treatment characteristics and COVID‐19 severity 1 among pwMS.
| No COVID‐19 or mild COVID‐19 | Moderate COVID‐19 | p‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 1887 | n = 8 | ||
| Age, y, mean (SD) | 44.6 (12.3) | 40.5 (9.7) | 0.3486 |
| Sex, females, n (%) | 1359 (72.0) | 5 (62.5) | 0.5497 |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | 0.357 | ||
| White | 864 (45.8) | 3 (37.5) | |
| Black | 293 (15.5) | 0 (0) | |
| Hispanic | 593 (31.4) | 5 (62.5) | |
| Other | 137 (7.6) | 0 (0) | |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 0.6 (1.2) | 0.8 (1.2) | 0.6759 |
| Elixhauser comorbidity index | 2.3 (1.7) | 2.1 (1.7) | 0.5713 |
| MS‐related Disability, n (%) | 0.6481 | ||
| Walker‐dependent (EDSS = 6.5) | 178 (10.3) 2 | 0 (0) | |
| Wheelchair‐dependent or worse (EDSS ≥ 7.0) | 161 (9.3) 2 | 1 (12.5) | |
| Rituximab treatment characteristics | |||
| Time since first infusion, y, med (IQR) | 2.2 (1.2, 3.8) | 2.5 (0.7, 4.2) | 0.8366 |
| Time since last infusion, mos., med (IQR) | 7.8 (5.8, 10.8) | 2.5 (0.9, 3.5) | 0.0001 |
| Dose at last infusion, n (%) | 0.0082 | ||
| ≥1000 mg | 297 (15.7) | 4 (50.0) | |
| <1000 mg | 1590 (84.3) | 4 (50) | |
| Cumulative dose, mg, med (IQR) | 2000 (1400, 3800) | 3250 (1750, 8250) | 0.1488 |
| Cumulative dose, n (%) | 0.2994 | ||
| >8000 mg | 120 (6.4) | 2 (25.0) | |
| >3000–8000 mg | 441 (23.4) | 2 (25.0) | |
| >2000–3000 mg | 354 (18.8) | 1 (12.5) | |
| >1000–2000 mg | 542 (28.7) | 2 (25.0) | |
| ≤1000 mg | 430 (22.8) | 1 (12.5) | |
Abbreviations: EDSS, expanded disability status scale; IQR, interquartile range; med, median; mg, milligrams; mos., months; pwMS, persons with multiple sclerosis; SD, standard deviation; y, years.
1
Maximum COVID‐19 severity defined as requiring hospitalization (moderate) or not requiring hospitalization (mild).
2
Available for 1725 pwMS.