Most people with MS who develop Covid-19 will have mild to moderate symptoms and will not develop serious complications which require hospital care. However, they may still experience long-term effects of Covid-19. This study was designed to find out how well people with MS recover from mild to moderate Covid-19 and the factors that influence recovery.
7,977 people with MS took part in the UK MS Register Covid-19 study. People who reported having Covid-19 were invited to complete fortnightly questionnaires until they considered themselves fully recovered from Covid-19. The association between Covid-19 recovery and factors including age, gender, type of MS, levels of disability and mental health status were analysed.
Regular updates from 571 participants were included in the final analysis.
Most people with MS who developed Covid-19 recovered within an average of 10 days. About 30% experienced Covid-19 symptoms for more than 4 weeks and about 12% for more than 12 weeks. People with higher disability, mental health problems, and women were more likely to experience persistent symptoms. The authors suggest the results will provide useful information to tailor post-Covid-19 rehabilitation. The results also highlight the importance of vaccination against Covid-19 in those who are most vulnerable to long-term effects.
Most people with MS who develop Covid-19 will have mild to moderate symptoms and will not develop serious complications which require hospital care. However, they may still experience long-term effects of Covid-19. This study was designed to find out how well people with MS recover from mild to moderate Covid-19 and the factors that influence recovery.
How this study was carried out
7,977 people with MS took part in the UK MS Register Covid-19 study. People who reported having Covid-19 were invited to complete fortnightly questionnaires until they considered themselves fully recovered from Covid-19. The questionnaire asked participants which symptoms of Covid-19 they were still experiencing. Background details about each participant, which they had previously provided is held as part of the Register. Details held include age, gender, type of MS, levels of disability and mental health status. The association between Covid-19 recovery and these background details was analysed to find factors that might influence recovery.
1096 participants reported having Covid-19 and of these 599 provided regular updates of their Covid recovery. 28 participants (4.7%) were hospitalised due to their Covid infection and were excluded from the final analysis of 571 people.
77.8% reported full recovery from Covid-19 within the study period. The average recovery time was 10 days.
At least 165 participants (29.7%) had Covid-19 symptoms which lasted for more than 4 weeks and 69 (12.4%) for more than 12 weeks. Participants with pre-Covid self-assessed EDSS scores greater than 7 (unable to walk more than 5 metres with walking aid), participants with probable anxiety and/or depression before Covid-19, and women were more likely to report delayed recovery. Other MS-related factors such as disease duration or disease modifying therapies did not appear to influence recovery from Covid-19.
More than 80% of participants with persistent Covid-19 symptoms had symptoms that were not typical for MS, such as breathing difficulties, sore throat, stomach ache and diarrhoea.
The good news from this study is that most people with MS who developed Covid-19 recovered within an average of 10 days. About 30% experienced Covid-19 symptoms for more than 4 weeks and about 12% for more than 12 weeks. People with higher disability, mental health problems, and women were more likely to experience persistent symptoms. The authors suggest the results will provide useful information to tailor post-Covid-19 rehabilitation. The results also highlight the importance of vaccination against Covid-19 in those who are most vulnerable to long-term effects of infection.
Garjani A, Middleton RM, Nicholas R, Evangelou N.
Recovery from Covid-19 in multiple sclerosis: a prospective and longitudinal cohort study of the United Kingdom Multiple Sclerosis Register.
Neurology Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation 2022; 9: e1118.
Find out more about long Covid
Long Covid is a term used to describe the effects of Covid-19 that continue for weeks or months beyond the initial illness. NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) defines long Covid as lasting for more than 12 weeks, although some people consider symptoms that last more than eight weeks to be long Covid.
The most recent analysis from the Office of National Statistics estimates that 2.1% of the general population were experiencing self-reported long Covid (symptoms persisting for more than four weeks after the first suspected Covid-19 infection) as of 2 January 2022.
If you are worried about new or ongoing symptoms four or more weeks after having Covid-19, there are resources available which can help you to understand what has happened and what you might expect as part of your recovery. The time it takes to recover from Covid-19 is different for everyone, and the length of your recovery is not necessarily related to the severity of your initial illness or whether you were in hospital.
NHS England
Long-term effects of coronavirus (long COVID)
Your COVID Recovery
NHS Scotland
Long-term effects of COVID-19 (long COVID) - NHS Scotland
NHS Wales
Getting support for recovery from Covid-19 (long Covid) - GOV.Wales
Download the COVID recovery app - NHS Wales
NHS Northern Ireland
Long Covid - Northern Ireland
