COVID-19 and Health Outcomes in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Population-Based Study in Italy

People with multiple sclerosis (PWMS) are at high risk of being affected by the disruption of health services that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic months. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on the health outcomes of PWMS. PWMS and MS-free residing in Piedmont (north-west of Italy) were identified from electronic health records and linked with the regional COVID-19 database, the hospital-discharge database, and the population registry. Both cohorts (9333 PWMS and 4,145,856 MS-free persons) were followed-up for access to swab testing, hospitalisation, access to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and death from 22 February 2020 to 30 April 2021. The relationship between the outcomes and MS was evaluated using a logistic model, which was adjusted for potential confounders. The rate of swab testing was higher in PWMS, but the positivity to infection was similar to that of MS-free subjects. PWMS had a higher risk of hospitalisation (OR = 1.74; 95% IC, 1.41-2.14), admission to ICU (OR = 1.79; 95% IC, 1.17-2.72), and a slight, albeit not statistically significant, increase in mortality (OR = 1.28; 95% IC, 0.79-2.06). Compared to the general population PWMS with COVID-19 had an increased risk of hospitalization and admission to the ICU; the mortality rate did not differ.