Impact of the Modifications of Environmental Exposures and Health Care Access During COVID-19 Lockdown on Multiple Sclerosis

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating auto immune disease of the central nervous system, affecting 2500000 people worldwide. Risk factors for MS severity are not yet well-known , but previous studies highlighted that relapse rate increased during influenzae epidemics, and air pollution could be a risk factor for MS relapses. MS is a neurological chronic disease that requires constant medical treatment and regular rehabilitation care. COVID-19 pandemic and restrictive measures taken to limit contaminations have drastically decreased air pollution and seasonal viral infections exposure, but sanitary crisis also limited care access for MS patients (medical treatment, rehabilitation). Therefore, this particular period offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of air pollution, viral infections, and health care access on the severity of MS. The main objective is to evaluate the impact of air pollution and seasonal viral infections on the risk of MS relapse, using the year 2020 as a quasi-experimental model. The secondary objective will be to evaluate the impact of health care access limitations on the risk of neurological disability accumulation. This study will include 1500 MS patients, living in Ile de France, followed in the neurological department of "Pitié-Salpêtrière" Hospital. This is a retrospective observational study nested in OFSEP registry (French Multiple Sclerosis Observatory), which is a prospective cohort of MS patients in France. Air pollution data will come from AIRPARIF, and viral infections data will come from "Santé Publique France". A better knowledge of the impact of air pollution, viral infections, and health care access on the course of MS will enable to better guide information to patients and public health care decisions.

What you commit to

• Study type: Observational
• Participants enrolled: 1209
• From Feb 2022 to the primary completion date, Feb 2025
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

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Who cannot take part

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Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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