COVID-19 vaccination uptake in people with multiple sclerosis compared to the general population

Abstract

Objective: To determine the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) compared to the general population in Croatia.

Methods: Data from all pwMS entered in the MS Base register until March 24th, 2022 were extracted including age, sex, MS phenotype, disease-modifying therapy (DMT), and date of COVID-19 vaccination. Data on the general population of Croatia were obtained from the vaccination register of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Results: 64.4% pwMS were fully COVID-19 vaccinated which was comparable to 66.3% of the general population. More pwMS were fully vaccinated in the age group 20-24 (74.1% vs 51.7%), and fewer pwMS were fully vaccinated in the age group 65-69 (33.3% vs 80.4%) compared to the general population of the same age group, respectively. PwMS who received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine were older (40.5 vs 37.6 years, p = 0.01), had higher EDSS (2.0 vs 1.0, p = 0.025), and had longer disease duration (6.39 vs 5.35 years, p = 0.02), were more likely to have progressive disease course (p = 0.049) and were on high efficacy DMTs (p = 0.045) compared to unvaccinated pwMS. Longer disease duration positively predicted vaccine uptake.

Conclusion: Croatia has suboptimal COVID-19 vaccination uptake without a significant difference between the general population and pwMS.

Keywords: COVID-19; Multiple sclerosis; Vaccination.