Table 2.
Personal and lifestyle characteristics of included MS patients and controls
| MS patients (n = 530) | Controls (n = 918) | Crude p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco use and exposure | |||
| Ever smoker, n (%) | 386 (74.5) | 495 (54.8) | 1.15×10-13a |
| Ever snuff use, n (%) | 60 (11.4) | 141 (15.6) | 0.029a |
| Ever exposure to passive smoke, n (%) | 380 (72.2) | 652 (72.0) | 0.94a |
| Comorbidity | |||
| Autoimmune disease other than MS, n (%) | 85 (16.0) | 151 (16.4) | 0.84a |
| Tonsillectomy, n (%) | 118 (23.2) | 174 (19.3) | 0.078a |
| Appendectomy, n (%) | 60 (11.8) | 106 (11.8) | 1.0a |
| Female reproductive health* | |||
| Age at menarche, mean (SD) | 13.07 (1.38) | 12.97 (1.43) | 0.28b |
| Number of children, mean (SD) | 1.21 (1.07) | 1.77 (1.12) | 4.89×10-14b |
| Age at first child, mean (SD) | 27.34 (5.50) | 27.05 (4.79) | 0.47b |
Abbreviation: SD = Standard deviation.
aPearson’s Chi square test.
btwo sided t-test.
*Only women included (ncases = 391, ncontrols = 535).
Missing values are not included in the calculations.