Table 3.
Comparison of the patients’ socio-demographic and clinical characteristics among five disease-modifying therapies
| Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics | IFNβ-1a IM (n = 257) | IFNβ-1b SC (n = 364) | IFNβ-1a 22 μg SC (n = 152) | IFNβ-1a 44 μg SC (n = 170) | GA (n = 188) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 40 (10) | 42 (11) | 41 (10) | 41 (10) | 40 (11) | 0.48 |
| Female, n (%) | 183 (71) | 240 (66) | 102 (67) | 111 (65) | 135 (72) | 0.43 |
| Age at diagnosis (years), mean (SD) | 32 (9) | 33 (10) | 32 (10) | 32 (9) | 32 (10) | 0.62 |
| Age at the start of therapy (years), mean (SD) | 34.6 (9.6) | 36.1 (10.8) | 34.2 (10.1) | 36.4 (10.2) | 37.1 (11.1) | 0.03 |
| Disease duration (years), median (IQR) | 6.6 (3.7, 10.2) | 6.9 (3.3, 12.2) | 7.4 (4.6, 10.5) | 8.2 (4.7, 11.1) | 6.2 (3.7, 12.5) | 0.18 |
| Therapy duration (years), mean (SD) | 5.0 (3.3) | 5.1 (3.7) | 5.8 (3.2) | 4.4 (2.5) | 3.2 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| EDSS at baseline, median (IQR) | 1.0 (0.0, 2.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 3.5) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.3) | 2.0 (1.5, 4.0) | 2.0 (1.0, 3.5) | <0.001 |
| Patients with relapses in the last 12 months, n (%) | 50 (19) | 75 (21) | 27 (18) | 46 (27) | 28 (15) | 0.07 |
| Number of relapses in the last 12 months, n (%) | ||||||
| 0 | 207 (81) | 289 (79) | 125 (82) | 124 (73) | 160 (85) | 0.49 |
| 1 | 42 (16) | 56 (15) | 23 (15) | 36 (21) | 23 (12) | |
| 2 | 4 (2) | 13 (4) | 3 (2) | 7 (4) | 4 (2) | |
| 3 | 3 (1) | 5 (1) | 1 (1) | 3 (2) | 0 (0) | |
| 4 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | |
| Treatment response | ||||||
| Patients with optimal response to treatment, n (%) | 194 (75) | 270 (74) | 120 (79) | 110 (65) | 145 (77) | 0.03 |
| Patients with sub-optimal response to treatment, n (%) | 63 (25) | 94 (26) | 32 (21) | 60 (35) | 43 (23) | |
EDSS Expanded Disability Status Scale, GA glatiramer acetate, IFN interferon, IM intramuscular, IQR interquartile range, SC subcutaneous, SD standard deviation