Infectious diseases significantly contribute to morbidity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), since the risk of suffering from an infection is increased by MS per se and may be further enhanced by disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and frequent comorbidities. As a result, infectious diseases may heighten the risk of disease progression in MS and result in reduced life expectancy. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, presents new challenges for patients with MS. Since the approval of messenger RNA (mRNA) and non-replicating vector coronavirus vaccines by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada (HC) and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), neurologists are facing an unprecedented demand for information on vaccination in MS, particularly in the context of DMTs. This review aims to provide a clinical practice-oriented approach to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in MS in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monschein T, Hartung HP, Zrzavy T, Barnett M, Boxberger N, Berger T, Chataway J, Bar-Or A, Rommer PS, Zettl UK. Vaccination and multiple sclerosis in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 5:jnnp-2021-326839. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-326839.