Eizaguirre MB, et al. J Clin Neurol. 2018 Oct;14(4):472-477. https://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2018.14.4.472

To date, there are no data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in Latin American patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Characterize safety of COVID-19 vaccines in Latin American (LATAM) patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). A cross-sectional study between February 1, 2021, and April 30, 2021. Individuals with MS from LATAM countries were invited to participate in a self-administered web-based survey, through MS patient organizations from the region. 393 vaccinated pwMS from 10 different Latin American countries were included. The vaccines administered were: inactivated virus vaccines (IVV) in 38.2% of patients, adenovirus vector vaccines (AdV) in 48.8% and mRNA vaccines 13%. All patients received at least one dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines and 123 (31.3%) declared receiving a second dose. Mean (SD) age 41.5 (11.8) years, 82.4% female, MS disease duration: 8.4 (8.2) years. No serious adverse events were reported with any of the COVID-19 vaccines after either the first or second dose. A lower frequency of adverse events was found with IVV (22%) in comparison with AdV (46.4%) and mRNA (35.3%) (p < 0.01). Five participants reported having an MS relapse after IVV first dose. COVID-19 vaccines applied in LATAM proved safe for MS patients.

BACKGROUND: Social support is crucial for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to analyze differences in perceived social support in persons with MS vs controls; to study associations between perceived social support, clinical measures, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) variables in persons with MS; and to establish a predictive value of perceived social support for HRQOL. METHODS: We studied 151 persons with MS (mean ± SD: age, 42.01 ± 9.97 years; educational level, 14.05 ± 3.26 years) and 89 controls (mean ± SD: age, 41.46 ± 12.25 years; educational level, 14.60 ± 2.44 years) using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), Expanded Disability Status Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life (MusiQoL) questionnaire. Parametric and nonparametric statistical methods were used accordingly; P < .05. RESULTS: Persons with MS exhibited lower scores on the MOS-SSS's overall support index (t238 = −1.98, P = .04) and on each functional subscale (t238 = −2.56 to −2.19, P < .05). No significant differences were found on the social support structural component (P > .05). Significant associations were observed between social support and depression and fatigue (r = −0.20 to −0.29, P < .05) and with MusiQoL dimensions (r = −0.18 to 0.48, P < .05). Multiple regression analysis showed all 4 tested models contributed to HRQOL-explained variance (41%–47%). The emotional/informational support model explained the most HRQOL variability (47%). CONCLUSIONS: Persons with MS perceived reduced social support, presenting lower functional scores than controls. Perceived social support proved to be a predictor of HRQOL. These findings should be considered during therapeutic treatment.

We aimed to describe the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), to compare HRQoL between NMOSD patients, multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls (HC) and to study the associations between HRQoL and the clinical variables of the disease. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Patients with NMOSD seropositive, MS, and HC were enrolled and age-matched. The HRQoL was studied using the Argentinean validation of the SF-36 health questionnaire. Demographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed, as well as the EDSS and the total scores and subscales of the SF-36. 243 individuals were included (NMOSD= 53, MS =100, and HC =90). The mean EDSS was 3.06 ± 2.01 in NMOSD and 2.67 ± 1.83 in MS with a mean of disease duration of 6.2 ± 4.4 and 6.3 ± 5.3 years, respectively. Significant statistical differences were observed in the total SF-36 score between both NMOSD and MS vs. HC (p < 0.01), but no differences were found when the total SF-36 score was compared between NMOSD vs. MS. Overall, NMOSD patients scored significantly lower in the total SF-36 and subscale scores compared to HC (p< 0.05). NMOSD patients also showed significant differences in bodily pain (58.8 ± 29.8 vs 75.1 ± 25.1, p < 0.01) and general health (44.4 ± 20.9 vs.31.9 ± 23.1, p < 0.01) when compared with MS, but no differences were found after comparing the rest of the subscales. We found that higher EDSS scores (β -1.28 p = 0.03) and disease duration (β 0.8, p = 0.02) were significantly associated to lower (worse) general health (dependent variable) score in NMOSD patients after having applied multiple linear regression analysis. Additionally, we observed that higher EDSS scores (β -10.2 p = 0.008) and the presence of relapses in the previous year (β -28.9, p = 0.02) were significantly associated to lower (worse) physical functioning (dependent variable) score. Pain seems to be a significant undertreated symptom in NMOSD patients that strongly impact on HRQoL. Patient-reported HRQoL scales scores provide comprehensive additional prognostic information beyond physical disability score.