Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants at baseline
| Characteristics | Healthy controls n=20 |
Responders n=24 |
Non-responders n=16 |
p Values* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female/male ratio (% women) | 14/6 (70) | 17/7 (70.8) | 12/4 (75) | 0.867 |
| Age at baseline (years) | 34.0 (31.7–43.5) | 34.5 (28.5–45.7) | 34.0 (29.2–46.0) | 0.950 |
| Duration of disease | 4.0 (2.0–7.7) | 5.0 (3.2–6.7) | 0.774 | |
| RR/SP ratio (% RR) | 22/2 (91.7) | 15/1 (93.8) | 1.000 | |
| EDSS at baseline | 1.0 (1.0–1.37) | 1.25 (1.0–2.87) | 0.101 | |
| Number of relapses in the 2 previous years | 1.0 (1.0–2.0) | 2.0 (1.0–2.0) | 0.149 | |
| Type of IFNβ | ||||
| Intramuscular IFNβ-1a (%) | 4 (16.7) | 1 (6.2) | 0.422 | |
| Subcutaneous IFNβ-1a (%) | 19 (79.2) | 13 (81.3) | ||
| Subcutaneous IFNβ-1b (%) | 1 (4.1) | 2 (12.5) |
Quantitative data are presented as median (IQR).
*p Values: Refers to p values obtained following comparisons between healthy controls, responders and non-responders by means of a Kruskal-Wallis test (age) and χ2 test (gender), as well as p values obtained following comparisons between responders and non-responders by means of a Mann-Whitney U test (duration, EDSS and number of relapses) and χ2 or Fisher test (clinical course and type of IFNβ).
EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale; IFN, interferon; RR, relapsing–remitting; SP, secondary progressive; TRAIL, Tumour necrosis factor-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand.