Table 1.
Summary of demographics and baseline characteristics
| African Americans | Caucasian Americans | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRI cohort | n = 22 | n = 60 | |
| Average age, years (SD) | 36.7 (10.7) | 38.0 (11.1) | 0.601a |
| Female, n (%) | 16 (72.7) | 47 (78.3) | 0.594b |
| Multiple sclerosis subtype: | 0.186c | ||
| RRMS, n (%) | 21 (95.5) | 49 (81.7) | |
| PPMS, n (%) | 1 (4.6) | 5 (8.3) | |
| SPMS, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 6 (10.0) | |
| History of optic neuritis, n (%) | 14 (63.6) | 35 (58.3) | 0.704b |
| Disease duration, years, mean (SD) | 5.46 (4.9) | 6.17 (6.5) | 0.878a |
| On DMT (at baseline), n (%) | 16 (72.7) | 35 (58.3) | 0.234b |
| Acute optic neuritis within 6 months of baseline MRI, n (%) | 7 (31.8) | 19 (31.7) | 0.990b |
| Duration follow-up, years, mean (SD) | 3.1 (2.6) | 5.1 (2.9) | 0.016a |
| EDSS, median (Q1–Q3) | 2.8 (1.5–3.5) | 2 (1.5–3.5) | 0.590a |
| Optical coherence tomography cohort | n = 116 | n = 116 | |
| Baseline age, years, mean (SD) | 37.5 (9.6) | 37.6 (10.2) | 0.956a |
| Female, n (%) | 90 (77.6) | 94 (81.0) | 0.517b |
| Multiple sclerosis subtype: | 0.826c | ||
| RRMS, n (%) | 105 (90.5) | 107 (92.2) | |
| PPMS, n (%) | 5 (4.3) | 3 (2.6) | |
| SPMS, n (%) | 6 (5.2) | 6 (5.2) | |
| History of optic neuritis, n (%) | 51 (44.0) | 52 (44.8) | 0.895b |
| Disease duration, years, mean (SD) | 6.24 (5.8) | 5.79 (5.8) | 0.509a |
| On DMT (at baseline), n (%) | 75 (64.7) | 83 (71.6) | 0.260b |
| MMP, n (%) | 14 (12.1) | 1 (0.9) | 0.001b |
| Duration follow-up, years, mean (SD) | 4.0 (2.4) | 5.03 (2.3) | 0.001a |
| EDSS, median (Q1–Q3) | 2 (1–3) | 1.5 (1–2) | 0.016a |
aWilcoxon rank-sum test.
bχ2 test.
cFisher’s exact test.
PPMS = primary progressive multiple sclerosis; RRMS = relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; SPMS = secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; Q1 = first quartile, Q3 = third quartile. Bold values indicate statistical significance (P < 0.05).