Table 3.
Serum levels of IL-23 and IL-27 in relation to the clinical characteristics of RRMS patients.
| Variables | Groups | Mean ± SD or Median [IQR] | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL-23 (pg./ml) | |||
| Gender | Female (n = 57) | 178.8 ± 93.8 | 0.342 |
| Male (n = 10) | 209.2 ± 86.5 | ||
| Age at disease onset(a | <28 years (n = 33) | 192.7 ± 80.2 | 0.421 |
| ≥28 years (n = 34) | 174.3 ± 103.8 | ||
| Duration of disease (b | ≤10 years (n = 34) | 183.6 ± 110.5 | 0.979 |
| >10 years (n = 33) | 183.1 ± 71.7 | ||
| EDSS (c | ≤2 (n = 38) | 172.3 ± 100.8 | 0.257 |
| >2 (n = 29) | 197.7 ± 80.4 | ||
| Number of relapses under treatment (d | <2 (n = 42) | 186.0 ± 95.0 | 0.763 |
| ≥2 (n = 25) | 178.9 ± 90.5 | ||
| Duration of Disease-modifying treatment (e | <72 months | 194.2 ± 102.7 | 0.404 |
| ≥72 months | 175.1 ± 84.8 | ||
| Disease-modifying treatment | Interferon-beta (n = 33) | 183.3 ± 108.8 | 0.996 |
| Glatiramer acetate (n = 34) | 183.4 ± 75.6 | ||
| IL-27(pg./ml) | |||
| Gender | Female (n = 57) | 19.9 ± 4.9 | 0.139 |
| Male (n = 10) | 22.5 ± 5.2 | ||
| Age at disease onset (a | <28 years (n = 33) | 21.7 ± 5.3 | 0.026* |
| ≥28 years (n = 34) | 19.0 ± 4.4 | ||
| Duration of disease (b | ≤10 years (n = 34) | 19.9 ± 3.9 | 0.554 |
| >10 years (n = 33) | 20.6 ± 5.6 | ||
| EDSS (c | ≤2 (n = 38) | 20.1 [16.6; 23.8] | 0.672 |
| >2 (n = 29) | 19.2 [16.5; 22.5] | ||
| Number of relapses under treatment (d | <2 (n = 42) | 20.2 ± 5.0 | 0.764 |
| ≥2 (n = 25) | 20.6 ± 4.9 | ||
| Duration of disease-modifying treatment (e | <72 months | 20.3 ± 4.5 | 0.922 |
| ≥72 months | 20.4 ± 5.3 | ||
| Disease-modifying treatment | Interferon-beta (n = 33) | 21.4 ± 5.4 | |
| Glatiramer acetate (n = 34) | 19.3 ± 4.4 | 0.079 | |
IQR = [Q1, Q3] where Q1 = Quartile1; Q3 = Quartile 3; n = number of cases; p-values were obtained from Student-t test with equal variances or Welch Two Sample t-test; (a the median value was equal to 28 years; (b the median value was equal to 10 years;(c the median value was 2 points; (d the median value was equal to one relapse; (e the median value was equal to 72 months; *significant result: p < 0.05.