Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of HCs, CIS patients, all MS patients and MS subtypes patients.

	HCs	CIS	MS Patients
					MS Subtypes
			Whole Group	p§	RR	SP	PP	p*
No.of Subjects	13	7	58		32	20	6
M	9	3	13		7	2	4
F	4	4	45	0.089	25	18	2
Age (y)	35	33	41	0.002	35	43	49	0.001
	(23–54)	(27–41)	(25–60)		(25–54)	(27–55)	(35–60)
Onset age(y)		27	29	0.336	26	31	36	0.061
		(24–41)	(8–47)		(8–37)	(19–37)	(22–47)
Disease duration (y)		1	4	<0,001	8	11	15	0.002
		(0–7)	(2–7)		(1–31)	(2–30)	(6–18)
EDSS		2	4.2	<0,001	3.5	4.5	6	<0,001
		(1,5–3,5)	(2–6,5)		(2,0–4,5)	(3,0–6,0)	(4,5–6,5)
MSSS		2	1.78	<0,001	3.5	4.5	5.5	<0,001
		(1,5–3,5)	(0,13–12,76)		(2,0–4,5)	(4,0–6,0)	(4,5–6,5)

Data are expressed as median and range (in brackets). There were no statistically significant differences between HCs and MS patients in age (p = 0.721; 0.153) or sex (p = 0.148; 0.332). § Mann-Whitney U test between CIS and MS patients. * Kruskal Wallis one-way analysis of variance among MS patients.

HCs =  healthy controls subjects; CIS  =  clinically isolated syndrome; MS =  multiple sclerosis; MS Subtypes: RR =  relapse remitting; SP =  secondary progressive, PP =  primary progressive.