The MuSC-19 study: The Egyptian cohort

Zakaria, Magd; Ponzano, Marta; Schiavetti, Irene; Carmisciano, Luca; Nada, Mona; AbdelNaseer, Maged; Zamzam, Dina; Masoud, Janet; Aref, Hany; Shalaby, Nevin; AbdelNaser, Azza; Hamdy, Sherif; Saad, Mahmoud; Shehata, Hatem; Aly, Mohamed; Kishk, Nirmeen; Hamdy, Eman; Hassan, Amr; Hashish, Ahmed; Ahmed, Sandra; Foad, Mohamed; Sormani, Maria Pia

OBJECTIVE: : This study aimed to report the severity of COVID-19 in a cohort of Egyptian patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with particular attention on the impact of disease modifying drugs (DMDs). METHODS AND STUDY POPULATION: : We included 119 MS patients recruited from two centers, Ain-Shams university and Cairo university with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 during the period from May to September 2020 as a part of the MuSC-19 project. Univariate logistic regression was fitted to assess risk factors for severe COVID-19 (at least one outcome among hospitalization, ICU admission and death). RESULTS: : Females were 77%, mean age was 34 years, mean duration of MS was 5.28 years, median EDSS was 3, most of the patients (83%) had RRMS, while 15% and 2% had respectively SPMS and PPMS. Only eleven patients (9% of study population) had a severe outcome and 3 patients (3%) died. Headache was the only symptom significantly associated with the severity of COVID-19 (OR=10.85, P = 0.001). There was no association between any of the DMDs and severe COVID-19 outcome. CONCLUSION: : This study showed an acceptable safety profile of DMDs in Egyptian MS patients who developed COVID-19, as 91% of the cohort had a favorable outcome. Headache as a symptom associated with severe outcome in Egyptian patients’ needs further validation.