Table 6.

Clinicoradiological markers of an aggressive MS disease course in patients with elevated sNfl and/or sGFAP

	All patients n = 99		4th quartile serum NfL, > 17.5 pg/ml n = 24		4th quartile serum GFAP, > 109 pg/ml n = 24		Serum NFL > 10.0 pg/ml n = 55		Combined 4th quartile serum NfL & 4th quartile serum GFAP n = 9
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Motor symptoms at onset	15	16.3	5	21.7	7	29.2	13	23.6	1	11.1
Pyramidal signs in first year	21	21.9	8	33.3	12	50	17	30.9	4	44.4
Motor, cerebellar, cognitive or sphincter function	22	22.9	8	33.3	10	41.7	18	32.7	4	44.4
EDSS > 3.0 in first year	19	20.7	6	27.3	6	25	13	23.6	2	22.2
Severe relapses > 1 point EDSS	35	36.5	11	45.8	15	62.5	23	41.8	5	55.6
Poor recovery from first relapse	22	23.7	9	37.5	8	33.3	16	29.1	3	33.3
2 or more Gd+ lesions	35	38.5	20	83.3	12	50.0	28	50.9	6	66.7
At least one spinal cord lesion	41	45.1	11	45.8	14	58.3	24	43.6	4	44.4
Presence of infratentorial lesions	37	40.7	18	75.0	12	50.0	31	56.4	7	77.8
Presence of spinal > infratentorial lesions	27	29.9	4	16.7	7	29.2	12	21.8	1	11.1
More than 10 T2 lesions on brain MRI	17	17.7	5	20.8	3	12.5	10	18.2	0	0
More than 20 T2 lesions on brain MRI	25	26.0	13	54.2	10	41.7	19	34.5	6	66.7

RRMS relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, CIS clinically isolated syndrome, EDSS Expanded Disability Status Scale, Gd+ MRI magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium administration, CSF cerebrospinal fluid, IgG immunoglobulin G, NfL neurofilament light, GFAP glial fibrillary acidic protein, SD standard deviation

Possible predictors of aggressive MS disease course and the respective serum NfL and serum GFAP values of patients in the highest quartiles in comparison to all 99 patients. Patients with more than 20 T2 lesions are also included in “more than 10 T2 lesions on brain MRI”. Spinal MR imaging was available in 55 out of 99 patients, Gadolinium administration was available in 93 out of 99 patients