Table 2.

Patients with MS who showed clinically important difference in EDSS score in the first 5 years.

	Improved group	Deteriorated group	p
n (male:female)	12 (4:8)	7 (2:5)	–
Follow-up year	5.6 ± 2.1	5.9 ± 1.6	0.77
Onset age	28.8 ± 7.8	22.7 ± 6.0	0.0911
OB positivity	6/8 (75%)	6/6 (100%)	0.47
IgG-index	0.93 ± 0.30	0.80 ± 0.17	0.34
Findings at 5 years from the onset (*median, IQR)
Relapses in the first 5 years*	0 (0–1)	1 (0–3)	0.26
Number of cerebral lesions*	2 (1–7)	14 (13–18)	0.0003
WML volume (cc)	3.8 ± 3.1	27.4 ± 8.7	0.0004
Grey matter volume (cc)	892 ± 62	899 ± 29	0.84
EDSS*	1.0 (1.0–2.0)	1.0 (1.0–4.0)	0.70
Primarily responsible site of lesion for neurological disability (n)
Cerebral	2/12 (16.7%)	6/7 (85.7%)	0.0063
Optic nerves	0/12 (0.0%)	1/7 (14.3%)	0.37
Brainstem	0/12 (0.0%)	4/7 (57.1%)	0.0090
Myelitis	10/12 (83.3%)	2/7 (28.6%)	0.0449
Relapse preventive therapies (n; allowing duplication)
IFN-beta	10/12 (83.3%)	7/7 (100.0%)	0.51
Fingolimod	8/12 (66.7%)	4/7 (57.1%)	1.00

Clinical data between the MS patients who showed clinically important improvement in EDSS over 5 years follow-up (i.e. improved group) and those who showed clinically important deterioration in EDSS over 5 years follow-up (i.e. deteriorated group) was compared. Minimal clinically important difference in EDSS score was defined as 1.0 point change when the EDSS score was < 5.5, and as 0.5 point change when it was 5.5–8.5. Brain volumetry was performed using a volumetric program offered by Icometrix (Leuven, Belgium).

EDSS expanded disability status scale, IFN interferon, IgG immunoglobulin-G, IQR interquartile range (25–75 percentile), OB oligoclonal band, WML white matter lesion.

*median (interquartile range [IQR]).