Table 1.
Diagnosis Characteristics of patients with MS stratified by race/ethnicity.
| Characteristics | NH-White (n = 11) | NH-Black (n = 61) | Hispanic (n = 40) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Sclerosis (MS) type at diagnosis | p = 0.1859 | |||
| Relapsing remitting MS | 82% | 95% | 95% | |
| Primary progressive MS | 18% | 5% | 2.5% | |
| Secondary progressive MS | 0% | 0% | 2.5% | |
| Mean Age at diagnosis (years) | 39.9 (11.3) | 36.7 (11.4) | 32.4 (11.5) | p = 0.9918 |
| Female/Male ratio | 1.70/1 | 2.33/1 | 1.22/1 | p = 0.3765 |
| Active smokers | 55% | 44% | 30% | p = 0.3079 |
| Mean time from symptom onset to diagnosis (months) | 30.8 (38.9) | 32.9 (32.1) | 13.7 (15.4) | p = 0.9934 |
| Medical Evaluation at symptom onset | 64% | 63% | 70% | p = 0.8597 |
| Neurological Evaluation at symptom onset | 45% | 28% | 53% | p = 0.1778 |
| Adherence (Adherence/Ever used) | p = 0.0252 | |||
| Escalation therapy | 63.2% | 73% | 61.8% | |
| High efficacy therapy | 100% | 84.2% | 50% | |
| Relapse (Relapse/Ever used) | p = 0.00015 | |||
| Escalation therapy | 26.3% | 31.1% | 36.4% | |
| High efficacy therapy | 0% | 10.5% | 0% |
EDSS score at diagnosis and EDSS score at last clinical visit were compared within each group. Standard deviation is shown in parentheses. p = 0.4253 (NH-Black), p = 0.1757 (Hispanic), p = 0.0324 (NH-White), (paired sample t-test). For adherence and relapse data, chi-squared test and Fisher’s-exact test were used respectively. Escalation therapies included Glatiramer Acetate, Interferons, Teriflunomide, Dimethyl Fumarate and Fingolimod. High efficacy therapies included Rituximab, Ocrelizumab, Alemtuzumab and Natalizumab.