37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis – October 13-15, 2021
P125 – Risk factors of early clinical conversion in radiologically isolated syndrome
C. Lebrun-Frenay et al.
Objective: To examine the 2-year risk of a clinical event in patients with radiologically isolated syndrome.
Data source: French OFSEP database of RIS patients (n=372).
Results:
- Estimated rate of conversion to CIS/MS was 19.2% at 2 years.
- Risk factors for a clinical event were age <37 years, spinal cord lesions and Gd+ lesions on the index scan.
- Risk of 2-year conversion was 27.9% if two factors present; and 90% if all three factors were present.
Conclusion: Younger RIS subjects with MRI activity are at high risk of rapid conversion to MS.
P133 – Incidence of multiple sclerosis relapses and pseudo-relapses following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination
S. Chou et al.
Objective: To characterize side effects in MS patients receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
Data source: Retrospective analysis of 102 consecutive MS patients who had been fully vaccinated.
Results:
- Reports of fever were higher for MS patients vs. general population (25% vs. 16%).
- Pseudo-relapses were reported in 2 of 62 patients (3.2%) receiving the Pfizer vaccine and 4 of 40 patients (10.0%) receiving the Moderna vaccine.
- No relapses were recorded.
Conclusion: The risk of transient neurological worsening following COVID-19 vaccination was low.
P160 – Characterizing multiple sclerosis in the African American population: Interim data from the National African American Multiple Sclerosis Registry (NAAMSR)
M.J. Williams et al.
Objective: To examine potential causes of different MS outcomes among African Americans.
Data source: First 100 surveys of patients enrolled in the National African American MS Registry (NAAMSR).
Results:
- Mean time from MS symptom onset to diagnosis was 3.9 years.
- 81% were receiving a DMT; 17.2% were untreated.
- 97% were seeing a neurologist for their MS (MS specialist 87%)
- 84% had never been asked to participate in a clinical drug trial; 5% were currently in a trial
- Most common comorbidities were depression or anxiety (both 30%), hypertension (25%) and hyperlipidemia (15%).
Conclusions: There is a considerable delay in MS diagnosis.
See also P167 – The effect of sex and race on delays in multiple sclerosis evaluation and diagnosis: an updated analysis. Safadi et al.
P168 – Estimating risk of disease reactivation during and after pregnancy in multiple sclerosis: the VIMS-Preg score
G. Bsteh et al.
Objective: To develop a risk score for disease reactivation during and after pregnancy.
Data source: Data on 344 pregnancies from the Vienna Innsbruck MS database (VIMSD).
Results:
- Independent predictors of disease reactivation included type of DMT in the year prior to conception, DMT wash-out time, EDSS at conception, and time until DMT restart postpartum.
- A 10-point risk score was developed that identified patients at high, moderate and low risk of disease reactivation during/after pregnancy.
Conclusions: The VIMSPreg scoring system may help clinicians individualize treatment decision-making around pregnancy.
See also P182 – DeMeTeR: Disease Modifying Therapies and disease activity during pregnancy and postpartum in Relapsing multiple sclerosis