**3. Results**

### *3.1. Characteristics of the Study Group*

The study comprised 287 people with MS (208 female, 79 male, aged 21–69 years, mean 41.05). Among this number, 128 people (97 females, 31 males, mean age 36.44 years) responded through the online version of the survey and 159 people (111 females, 48 males, mean age 44.76 years) responded through the printed version. Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of respondents.

Duration of MS in the study group ranged between 1 and 40 years (mean: 11.8). The majority of patients (165) had relapsing-remitting MS, although 30% could not define the type of disease. Among the major MS-related complaints, the most frequent included fatigue, disturbance of gait, balance problems and vertigo (Table 2). Minor or mild functional disability with unlimited distance of ambulation was declared by 86.4% of respondents. DMT were used in 81.9% of patients and only symptomatic treatment—in 11.8% (Table 2). Comorbidities reported by 121 respondents included: endocrine disorders—thyroid gland diseases, diabetes (38), cardiovascular system diseases—hypertension, coronary artery disease (35), bronchial asthma (12), psychiatric conditions—depression, anxiety disorders (10), spondyloarthrosis (8), other immune-mediated diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis) (6), endometriosis (6), and glaucoma (6).

Since the onset of the pandemic (March 2020), 73 patients (25.4%) experienced a relapse, which in 64 cases was confirmed by consulting neurologist. Out of these patients, 50 were treated with i.v. infusions of corticosteroids (in- or outpatient schedule) and 14 with oral medications. Within this timeframe, 144 of respondents (50.2%) reported an increase in frequency and/or severity of previously experienced major MS symptoms, and 27 (9.4%) observed some new symptoms, including headache, mood disturbances and insomnia.


**Table 1.** Demographic characteristics of the study group.


**Table 2.** Clinical characteristics of the study group.

The respondents to the printed version of the survey less often had relapsing-remitting MS and more often could not define MS type in comparison to those who responded online (45.9% RRMS, 42.1% undefined vs. 71.88% RRMS, 16.6% undefined, respectively, *p* < 0.0001). The online respondents more often experienced an increase in their major MS symptoms (60.94% vs. 41.5%, *p* = 0.001). No other differences in MS-related issues were found between the subgroups of participants.

#### *3.2. Exposure to COVID-19*

Since March 2020, out of 46 (16%) patients who had been tested for COVID-19, 7 (2.4%) were positive and 3 of them needed hospitalization. Fifteen patients (5.2%) had undergone a quarantine, while 19 (6.6%) reported COVID-19 infection in a family member or a close person. No significant difference in occurrence of relapse was found between the subjects exposed to COVID-19 and those who were not (20.06% vs. 19.98%). The subgroups of

respondents to the online and printed version of the survey did not differ in reported exposure to COVID-19.
