September 10, 2021
People With MS Should Get the COVID-19 Vaccine: Expert
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be wondering if they should get a COVID-19 shot, and the answer is definitely yes, an expert says. “The big takeaway message is the COVID-19 vaccine is strongly recommended for patients with multiple sclerosis,” said Dr. Nancy Sicotte, director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Program at Cedars-Sinai in...
Greater Disability Tied to Worse COVID-19 Severity in MS Patients
Risk for hospitalization, ICU admission/ventilator support, death increased in multiple sclerosis patients with ambulatory disability, older age Ambulatory disability and older age are associated with worse clinical severity of COVID-19, including death, among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online March 19, 2021 in JAMA Neurology. Amber Salter, Ph.D., from the...
AAN: Race May Affect Response to Anti-CD20 Therapy for MS, NMOSD
B-cell repopulation occurs more often in African American versus White patients between six and 12 months after anti-CD20 infusion For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) receiving anti-CD20 treatment, B-cell repopulation occurs in more African American than White patients between six and 12 months after infusion, according to a study...
Common MS Meds Might Be Less Effective in Black Patients
Black people experience more severe courses of multiple sclerosis (MS), and now new research suggests that drugs commonly used to treat this disease may not work as well or for as long in these folks. “I was amazed,” said study researcher Dr. Gregg Silverman, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York...