Table 4.26.

Comparative demographic and disease-related characteristics of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and cases with a progressive initial course, among 1844 patients with multiple sclerosis from the Lyon, France, multiple sclerosis cohort.

	Secondary progressive multiple sclerosisa (n = 496)	multiple sclerosis with a progressive initial courseb (n = 282)	p value
Gender (%)
Males	39	43	0.32*
Females	61	57
Age at onset of the progressive phase of multiple sclerosis (years)
Mean ± standard deviation	39.5 ± 10.3	39.4 ± 11.3	0.47**
Median	39.1	40.1
Initial symptoms of the progressive phase of multiple sclerosis (%)
Isolated optic neuritis	0	2	0.11*
Isolated brainstem dysfunction	0	0
Isolated dysfunction of long tracts	85	84
Combination of symptoms	15	14
Superimposed relapses during the progressive phase (%)
Yes	40	39	0.81*
No	60	61
Kaplan–Meier estimates of the time (median in years)
from onset of multiple sclerosis to assignment of
DSS 4	6.1	0.0	<0.001**
DSS 6	12.5	7.1	<0.001**
DSS 7	19.1	13.4	<0.001**
From assignment of a disability status score of 4 to
DSS 6	4.0	5.4	0.001**
DSS 7	9.0	12.0	<0.001**
From assignment of a disability status score of 6 to
DSS 7	3.0	4.0	0.09**
Kaplan–Meier estimates of the age (median in years) at the time of assigning a disability status score of
DSS 4	37.6	42.1	<0.001**
DSS 6	45.5	53.0	<0.001**
DSS 7	53.3	63.1	<0.001**
Duration of multiple sclerosis (years)
Mean ± standard deviation	17.6 ± 9.6	10.1 ± 8.0	<0.001***

p values are calculated with use of the chi-squared test (^*), the log rank test (^**), or Student's t test (^***).

DSS = Kurtzke Disability Status Scale.

^aDefined according to theLublin and Reingold (1996)classification.

^bDenotes the pooling of cases with ‘progressive relapsing multiple sclerosis' and of cases with ‘primary progressive multiple sclerosis' (Lublin and Reingold 1996).

Adapted from Confavreux et al (2000) and Confavreux et al (2005b)

© 2006