There is an association between severe Covid-19 infection and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The number of people affected remains low, reassure the scientists behind this discovery.
- Researchers have established a link between severe Covid-19 infections and multiple sclerosis.
- Cases remain rare at the moment, but they could increase in the years to come.
- This would be linked to dysregulation of the immune system caused by the virus.
What are the long-term consequences of Covid-19? Scientists around the world are seeking to answer this question. In Sweden, a team from Örebro University Hospital has just presented the results of research on this subject: they demonstrate the existence of a link between serious infection with the virus and the risk of developing sclerosis. in plates (SEP). Their results appeared in the journal Brain Communications.
A link between severe Covid-19 infection and the risk of multiple sclerosis
“We found an increased risk of MS in people with severe Covid-19.”develops Scott Montgomery, professor of clinical epidemiology. To reach this conclusion, the researcher and his team analyzed the medical data of nearly ten million people, between 2020 and 2022. Among these patients, they identified severe infections by SARS-CoV-2: dealt with cases requiring admission to hospital. Next, the Swedish researchers counted the number of MS diagnoses. “The results showed that nearly 26 out of 100,000 patients with a severe form of Covid-19 subsequently developed MS, they conclude. This risk was more than twice that of people without a Covid-19 diagnosis.” No significant link was observed between a less serious infection, that is to say one which did not require hospitalization, and the risk of MS.
Low risk of developing MS after infection with Covid-19
“I would like to point out that MS is a rare disease and very few people in this study were diagnosed with MS linked to Covid-19, underlines Scott Montgomery. Around 26 people with new-onset MS per 100,000 people with severe Covid-19 represent only 0.02% of cases.” But he estimates that the number of people affected could increase in the years to come. “It can take up to 10 to 20 years for a diagnosis of MS to be made.”indicates the specialist. He hopes the research will enable earlier diagnosis of the disease in affected people so they can be treated before symptoms worsen. “Since the majority of infected people will not develop diseases such as MS, they should not worry, he insists. However, people experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention. The sooner MS patients are treated, the better their quality of life will be, because treatments delay the worsening of the disease.”
How to explain the link between MS and Covid-19?
On the specialized site Multiple Sclerosis News TodaySteve Bryson, Canadian biochemist, provides explanations for the link between Covid-19 and MS. “One of the most important risk factors for MS is a history of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, which increases the risk of developing the disorder by more than 30 times.he specifies. It is thought that an immune response targeting the virus may also inadvertently attack healthy brain tissue due to structural similarities between some EBVs and brain proteins. Emerging evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection may also set the stage for MS via a similar mechanism.”
