Table 1.
Characteristics of study cohort (n=721)
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Age at MS diagnosis (years), mean (SD) | 36.5 (9.7) |
| Year of MS diagnosis, n (%) | |
| 1996–2000 | 263 (36.5) |
| 2001–2005 | 296 (41.0) |
| 2006–2012 | 162 (22.5) |
| Age at index date (years), mean (SD) | 37.6 (9.8) |
| Female, n (%) | 535 (74.2) |
| Socioeconomic status at index date, n (%) | |
| Low | 244 (33.8) |
| Medium | 247 (34.3) |
| High | 230 (31.9) |
| Residence, n (%) | |
| Rural | 298 (41.3) |
| Urban | 423 (58.7) |
| Time to DMT initiation from MS diagnosis (days), n (%) | |
| ≤90 | 154 (21.4) |
| 91–365 | 280 (38.8) |
| 366–730 | 119 (16.5) |
| >730 | 168 (23.3) |
| Initial DMT, n (%) | |
| Beta-interferon-1a (IM) | 162 (22.5) |
| Beta-interferon-1a (SC) | 165 (22.9) |
| Beta-interferon-1b | 241 (33.4) |
| Glatiramer acetate | 153 (21.2) |
| Number of non-MS ATC medication classes in 1 year prior to index date, n (%) | |
| 0 | 76 (10.5) |
| 1–2 | 212 (29.4) |
| 3–4 | 186 (25.8) |
| ≥5 | 247 (34.3) |
| MS-related hospitalization after initiating DMT, n (%) | 23 (3.2) |
| Non-MS-related hospitalization after initiating DMT, n (%) | 78 (12.8) |
| Follow-up time (index date to study end) (years), median (IQR) | 7.8 (6.1) |
Abbreviations: MS, multiple sclerosis; DMT, disease-modifying therapy; ATC, anatomic therapeutic chemical; IM, intramuscular; SC, subcutaneous; SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range.