Table 1.
Characteristics of patients.
| January–February [Pre-first Wave] | March–May [First Wave] | June–September [Pre-second Wave] | October–December [Second Wave] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First diagnosis of MS, n | 831 (865) | 1175 (1413) | 1786 (1793) | 1143 (1111) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 37.0 ± 3.4 (37.1 ± 3.4) | 36.3 ± 3.5 ** (37.3 ± 3.5) | 37.0 ± 3.5 ** (37.4 ± 3.5) | 36.0 ± 3.4 ** (37.4 ± 3.4) |
| Sex (Female), N, % | 592, 71.2% (581, 67.2%) | 747, 63.5% (947, 67.0%) | 1200, 67.2% (1224, 68.3%) | 790, 69.1% (744, 67.0%) |
| RRMS, n | 3745 (3877) | 3796 (5754) | 6328 (7123) | 4187 (4995) |
| Acute exacerbation, n, % | 2527, 67.5% (2616, 67.5%) | 2505, 66.0% ** (3977, 69.1%) | 4120, 65.1%m * (4767, 66.9%) | 2684, 64.1% * (3304, 66.1%) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 43.6 ± 3.6 * (43.3 ± 3.7) | 42.0 ± 3.5 ** (43.3 ± 3.6) | 43.1 ± 3.5 ** (43.8 ± 3.7) | 42.6 ± 3.5 ** (43.5 ± 3.6) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 1795, 71.0% (1866, 71.3%) | 1753, 70.0% (2806, 70.6%) | 2906, 70.5% (3387, 71.1%) | 1880, 70.0% (2333, 70.6%) |
| Without acute exacerbation, n, % | 1218, 32.5% (1261, 32.5%) | 1291, 34.0%** (1777, 30.9%) | 2208, 34.9% * (2356, 33.1%) | 1503, 35.9% * (1691, 33.9%) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 42.2 ± 3.6 (42.3 ± 3.7) | 41.6 ± 3.5 * (41.9 ± 3.7) | 42.2 ± 3.5 (42.5 ± 3.5) | 41.5 ± 3.5 ** (42.9 ± 3.5) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 824, 67.7% (821, 65.1%) | 873, 67.2% (1203, 67.7%) | 1482, 67.1% (1641, 69.7%) | 1018, 67.7% (1162, 68.7%) |
| SPMS, n | 2385 (2633) | 2015 (3941) | 4067 (4924) | 2225 (3246) |
| Acute exacerbation, n, % | 1508, 63.2% (1643, 62.4%) | 1305, 64.8% (2517, 63.4%) | 2652, 65.2% (3141, 63.8%) | 1395, 62.7% (2045, 63.0%) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 58.0 ± 4.8 ** (57.1 ± 5.0) | 57.6 ± 4.8 (57.8 ± 4.9) | 58.5 ± 5.0 * (58.1 ± 5.1) | 58.1 ± 5.3 * (57.6 ± 5.0) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 1023, 67.8% (1106, 67.3%) | 872, 66.8% (1696, 67.4%) | 1750, 66.0% (2065, 65.7%) | 890, 63.8% (1334, 65.2) |
| Without acute exacerbation, n, % | 877, 36.8% (990, 37.6%) | 710, 35.2% (1424, 36.1%) | 1415, 34.8% (1783, 36.2%) | 830, 37.3% (1201, 37.0%) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 58.2 ± 4.9 ** (57.2 ± 5.2) | 58.0 ± 5.0 ** (57.2 ± 5.0) | 57.8 ± 5.1 (57.8 ± 5.0) | 58.2 ± 5.1 ** (57.4 ± 4.9) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 584, 66.6% (665, 67.2%) | 468, 65.9% (932, 65.4%) | 919, 64.9% (1133, 63.5%) | 533, 64.1% (786, 65.4%) |
| PPMS, n | 913 (938) | 821 (1460) | 1599 (1857) | 976 (1272) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 57.8 ± 5.2 (57.7 ± 5.0) | 57.9 ± 5.0 (58.1 ± 4.9) | 58.4 ± 5.1 (58.7 ± 5.0) | 58.3 ± 5.1 (58.1 ± 5.0) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 554, 60.7% ** (492, 52.5%) | 411, 50.1% (790, 54.1%) | 863, 53.4% (979, 52.7%) | 546, 55.9% (699, 55.0%) |
| NMOSD, n | 193 (205) | 249 (308) | 392 (387) | 255 (270) |
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 48.5 ± 3.4 ** (50.1 ± 3.8) | 47.6 ± 3.4 (47.4 ± 3.5) | 48.4 ± 3.4 ** (49.3 ± 3.5) | 49.0 ± 3.6 * (48.2 ± 3.5) |
| Sex (Female), n, % | 146, 75.6% (150, 73.2%) | 171, 68.7% (221, 71.8%) | 291, 74.2% (272, 70.3%) | 191, 74.9% (196, 72.6%) |
| MS-associated Plasmapheresis therapy, n | 145 (132) | 167 (199) | 231 (251) | 154 (162) |
| NMOSD-associated Plasmapheresis therapy, n | 22 (18) | 49 (26) | 55 (36) | 27 (29) |
*
p-value < 0.05. **p-value < 0.001. Age is given as mean ± SD and rates are given in percent. Periods in 2020 are defined as Pre-first Wave: January to February, First Wave: March to May, Pre-second Wave: June to September, and Second Wave: October to December 2020. The data of the corresponding control period in 2019 are given in (brackets).
NMOSD, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder; PPMS, primary progressive multiple sclerosis; RRMS, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; SD, standard deviation; SPMS, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.