TABLE 1.
Participant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.
| Excluded participants (0-year) |
Study participants (0-year) |
Study participants (at 7.5-year) |
|
| N = 1,795 | N = 671 | N = 671 | |
| Mean (SD) | |||
| Age, years (mean, SD) | 45.7 (10.6) | 45.7 (10.2) | 53.3 (10.2) |
| MS duration, years (mean, SD) | 8.15 (7.5) | 7.88 (6.9) | 15.5 (6.9) |
| n (%) | |||
| Sex | |||
| Male | 288 (16.9%) | 129 (19.2%) | 129 (19.2%) |
| Female | 1,415 (83.1%) | 542 (80.8%) | 542 (80.8%) |
| Country of residence | |||
| Aus/NZ | 523 (29.1%) | 314 (46.8%) | 391 (41.2%) |
| UK | 300 (16.7%) | 119 (17.7%)** | 180 (19.0%) |
| US/Canada | 758 (42.2%) | 157 (23.4%)*** | 253 (26.7%) |
| Other | 214 (11.9%) | 81 (12.1%)** | 124 (13.1%) |
| University degree | |||
| No | 791 (44.4%) | 208 (31.1%) | 178 (26.8%) |
| Yes | 992 (55.6%) | 461 (68.9%)*** | 486 (73.2%) |
| Employment | |||
| Paid employment | 916 (51.4%) | 438 (65.3%) | 361 (54.6%) |
| Unemployed | 349 (19.6%) | 104 (15.5%)*** | 80 (12.1%) |
| Retired | 518 (29.1%) | 129 (19.2%)*** | 220 (33.3%) |
| BMI | |||
| Under/healthy | 966 (54.6%) | 435 (64.8%) | 398 (59.3%) |
| Overweight | 412 (23.3%) | 144 (21.5%)* | 155 (23.1%) |
| Obese | 393 (22.2%) | 92 (13.7%)*** | 118 (17.6%) |
| MS type | |||
| Non-progressive | 1,105 (63.0%) | 486 (73.0%) | 486 (73.0%) |
| Progressive | 393 (22.4%) | 105 (15.8%)*** | 105 (15.8%) |
| Unsure/other | 255 (14.6%) | 75 (11.3%)** | 75 (11.3%) |
| Disability (P-MSSS) | |||
| Normal/mild | 894 (54.8%) | 444 (68.0%) | 445 (67.1%) |
| Moderate | 436 (26.7%) | 141 (21.6%)*** | 153 (23.1%) |
| Severe | 302 (18.5%) | 68 (10.4%)*** | 65 (9.8%) |
| Fatigue (FSS > 5) | |||
| No | 749 (49.4%) | 382 (61.3%) | 381 (61.1%) |
| Yes | 766 (50.6%) | 241 (38.7%)*** | 243 (38.9%) |
| Depression (PHQ-2 > 2)a | |||
| No | 1,213 (77.2%) | 586 (90.0%) | 553 (87.0%) |
| Yes | 359 (22.8%) | 66 (10.1%)*** | 83 (13.1%) |
| Comorbiditiesb | |||
| 0 | 964 (53.7%) | 411 (61.3%) | 482 (71.8%) |
| ≥ 1 | 831 (46.3%) | 260 (38.8%)** | 189 (28.2%) |
aPHQ-2 was used at baseline (0-year) and PHQ-9 was used at 5- and 7.5-year timepoints.
bNumber of treated comorbidities. BMI, body mass index; MS, multiple sclerosis; na, not available; PHQ, patient health questionnaire; P-MSSS, patient-derived MS severity scores; SD, standard deviation. Percentages may not total exactly 100.0% due to rounding. Difference of variables between LTFU and study sample at baseline (*p < 0.05 **p < 0.01 ***p < 0.001) were assessed by t-test and log-binomial regression.