Table 1.
Demographic and clinical variables of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs) at baseline.
| Variable | MS patients mean (SD) (n = 322) | Healthy controls mean (SD) (n = 303) | t-test (df) or χ2 | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants’ characteristics | ||||
| Age in years | 41.98 (11.37) | 44.89 (11.64) | 3.161 (623) | 0.0032 |
| Gender (M:F) | 97.225 | 93.210 | χ2 = 0.024 | 0.88 |
| Education in years | 12.86 (3.61) | 13.18 (3.94) | 1.064 (623) | 0.33 |
| IQ | 111.78 (6.50) | 112.37 (6.53) | 1.121 (623) | 0.33 |
| Duration of illness in years | 9.16 (7.13) | – | – | |
| Clinical measures | ||||
| HADS–anxiety | 6.67 (3.55) | 5.96 (3.42) | 2.522 (615) | 0.019 |
| HADS–depression | 5.70 (3.91) | 4.36 (3.11) | 4.740 (615) | <0.001 |
| HADS–total | 12.37 (6.72) | 10.32 (5.87) | 4.047 (615) | <0.001 |
| FSS | 35.74 (15.18) | 24.25 (11.52) | 10.654 (617) | <0.001 |
| EDSS | 2.37 (1.90) | – | – |
*, Adjusted for multiple comparisons with false-discovery rate (FDR) approach; df, degrees of freedom; EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale; FSS, Fatigue Severity Scale; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; IQ, Intelligence Quotient.