Table 1.
Main Characteristics of Patients Receiving Anti-CD20 or Anti-CD52 Agents for Multiple Sclerosis Spectrum Disordersa
| Total (n = 163) n (%) | Anti-CD20 (n = 96) n (%) | Anti-CD52 (n = 67) n (%) | P (χ2 test) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female sex | 100 (61) | 50 (52) | 50 (75) | .004 |
| Age (years, mean ± SD) | 44.5 ± 11.4 | 48.4 ± 10.3 | 38.9 ± 10.5 | <.001 (t test) |
| Comorbidity burden | ||||
| No comorbidity | 53 (34) | 23 (25) | 30 (48) | .003 |
| 1 comorbidity | 47 (30) | 25 (27) | 22 (35) | .264 |
| 2–3 comorbidities | 31 (20) | 23 (25) | 8 (13) | .069 |
| >3 comorbidities | 26 (17) | 23 (25) | 3 (5) | .001 |
| Median disease duration [years] | 9.8 [4.4–15.8] | 11.1 [5.5–18.1] | 7.5 [4.0–13.5] | .005 (Mann-Whitney test) |
| Lesion accrual on brain MRIb | ||||
| Low | 7 (5) | 4 (5) | 3 (6) | 1.000 |
| Medium | 24 (18) | 12 (15) | 12 (24) | .187 |
| High | 100 (76) | 65 (80) | 35 (70) | .180 |
| EDSS scores | ||||
| <3.5 | 29 (18) | 5 (5) | 24 (36) | <.001 |
| 3.5–5 | 39 (24) | 18 (19) | 21 (31) | .064 |
| 5–7 | 61 (37) | 42 (44) | 19 (28) | .046 |
| ≥7 | 33 (20) | 30 (31) | 3 (5) | <.001 |
| Diagnosis | ||||
| RRMS | 78 (48) | 20 (21) | 58 (87) | <.001 |
| PPMS | 24 (15) | 24 (25) | 0 (0) | <.001 |
| SPMS | 55 (34) | 46 (48) | 9 (13) | <.001 |
| NMO | 5 (3) | 5 (5) | 0 (0) | .079 |
| DMT exposure | ||||
| Naïve | 17 (10) | 10 (10) | 7 (10) | 0.995 |
| Single | 31 (19) | 17 (18) | 14 (21) | 0.610 |
| Two-three lines | 66 (41) | 38 (40) | 28 (42) | 0.778 |
| Four or more lines | 49 (30) | 31 (32) | 18 (27) | 0.457 |
| MAbs-experienced | 61 (38) | 25 (26) | 36 (55) | <0.001 |
| Median wash out time from last DMT [days] | 37 [0–134] | 68 [0–178] | 16 [1–67] | 0.087 (Mann-Whitney test) |
| Infections | ||||
| CMV seropositivity (IgG) | 128 (79) | 78 (81) | 50 (75) | 0.311 |
| VZV seropositivity (IgG) | 155 (95) | 92 (96) | 63 (94) | 0.718 |
| HBV serostatus | ||||
| HBV seronegative | 101 (62) | 68 (71) | 33 (49) | 0.005 |
| Resolved HBV | 20 (12) | 14 (15) | 6 (9) | 0.281 |
| HBV vaccination | 42 (26) | 14 (15) | 28 (42) | <0.001 |
| TBC serostatus | ||||
| LTBI | 5/112 (4) | 2/65 (3) | 3/48 (6) | 0.652 |
| JCV seropositivity (IgG) | 111/132 (84) | 56/72 (78) | 55/60 (92) | 0.030 |
| Baseline immune status | ||||
| Median lymphocyte count [cells/μl] | 1410 [1050–2050] | 1390 [1120–1815] | 1500 [850–2300] | 0.170 (Mann-Whitney test) |
| Lymphocyte count > 800 cells/μl | 133 (82) | 83 (87) | 50 (75) | 0.055 |
| Lymphocyte count 800-500 cells/μl | 22 (14) | 11 (12) | 11(16) | 0.362 |
| Lymphocyte count 500-200 cells/μl | 8 (5) | 2 (2) | 6 (9) | 0.065 |
| Median C4+ T-cell count | 674 [371–1020] | 654 [376–954] | 704 [347–1104] | 0.652 (Mann-Whitney test) |
| C4+ T-cell count < 200 cells/μl | 21/150 (14) | 6/90 (7) | 15/60 (25) | 0.002 |
| Follow-up data | ||||
| Median follow-up days | 226 [96–365] | 133 [64–231] | 365 [345–365] | <0.001 (Mann-Whitney test) |
| Suspension rate | 12 (7) | 4 (4) | 8 (12) | 0.073 |
Abbreviations: CMV, cytomegalovirus; DMT, disease modifying therapies; EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale; HBV, hepatitis B virus; Ig, immunoglobulin; JCV, John Cunningham virus; LTBI, latent tuberculosis infection; MAbs, monoclonal antibodies; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; NMO, neuromyelitis optica, PPMS, primary progressive MS; RRMS, relapsing-remitting MS; SD, standard deviation; SPMS, secondary progressive MS; TBC, tuberculosis; VZV, varicella zoster virus.
aData are expressed as number (percentage) for qualitative variables or median (interquartile range) or mean ± SD for quantitative variables.
bThirty-two records missing.