Table. Baseline Characteristics for the First Qualifying Episode for Adults (18 to 64 Years) and Children (Younger Than 18 Years) Who Newly Initiated at Least 1 Disease-Modifying Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Between 2001 and 2020a.
| Characteristic | Adults (n = 113 095) No. (%) | Children (n = 488) No. (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Total No. of new use episodes | 153 846 | 583 |
| New use episodes per patient | ||
| 1 | 83 558 (73.9) | 319 (65.4) |
| ≥2 | 29 537 (26.1) | 169 (34.6) |
| Age, y, median (IQR) | 46 (38-53) | 16 (14-17) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 86 133 (76.2) | 346 (70.9) |
| Male | 26 962 (23.8) | 142 (29.1) |
| Regionb | ||
| Northeast | 22 283 (19.7) | 90 (18.5) |
| Midwest | 28 087 (24.8) | 127 (26.0) |
| South | 38 245 (33.8) | 169 (34.6) |
| West | 19 740 (17.5) | 88 (18.0) |
| Unknown/missing | 4740 (4.2) | 14 (2.9) |
| Comorbiditiesc | ||
| Any cancer | 3263 (2.9) | 13 (2.7) |
| Metastatic cancer | 377 (0.3) | 4 (0.8) |
| Depression | 16 200 (14.3) | 47 (9.6) |
| Neuropathic pain | 2935 (2.6) | 11 (2.3) |
a
In patients with multiple initiation episodes during the study period, only the first initiation episode is included for the characteristics summarized in this Table.
b
Based on US Census data from 2022, the geographic breakdown of the overall US population is as follows: Northeast (17.1%), Midwest (20.6%), South (38.6%), and West (23.6%).21
c
Comorbidities were evaluated in the year prior to the index date (date of claim associated with the initiation episode).