Table 1. Basic Characteristics of the Participants .
| Variable | Number (%)* |
| Gender (female) | 3837 (74.5) |
| Mean age (SD) | 36.3 (9.8) |
| Employment status | |
| Employed | 1621 (31.5) |
| Unemployed | 3357 (65.1) |
| Missing | 175 (3.4) |
| Married | 3647 (70.8) |
| Median family size (IQR) | 4 (3-4) |
| Education | |
| Illiterate | 0 (0) |
| Without academic degree | 2770 (53.8) |
| With academic degree | 2300 (44.6) |
| Missing | 83 (1.6) |
| Housing | |
| Owning a home | 3594 (69.7) |
| Rental accommodation | 1444 (28.0) |
| Missing | 115 (2.2) |
| No health insurance coverage | 79 (1.5) |
| MS type | |
| Relapsing | 4247 (82.4) |
| Progressive | 830 (16.1) |
| Missing | 76 (1.5) |
| Mean onset age (SD) | 29.3 (8.9) |
| Median diagnosis delay (IQR), year | ≥ 0 (0-1) |
| Median time to progression (IQR), year | 8 (4-12) |
| Family history of MS | |
| Positive | 926 (18.0) |
| Negative | 4079 (79.2) |
| Missing | 148 (2.9) |
| EDSS ≥ 6 | 239 (4.6) |
| Using assistance equipment | 371 (7.2) |
| Positive history of physical rehabilitation | 677 (13.1) |
SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range.
*For quantitative variables, mean (SD) or median (IQR) are shown.