Table 1.
Demographic and clinical variables according to King’s college stages
| Total (n = 547) |
Stage 1 (n = 224) |
Stage 2 (n = 193) |
Stage 3 (n = 86) |
Stage 4 (n = 44) |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years (M (SD)) | 54.7 (11.4) | 54.0 (11.0) | 55.1 (11.8) | 55.1 (12.7) | 55.5 (9.5) | 0.796 |
| Male (n, (%)) | 347 (63.4) | 153 (68.3) | 114 (59.1) | 52 (60.5) | 28 (63.6) | 0.240 |
| Education, years (M (SD)) | 9.4 (3.6) | 9.7 (3.8) | 9.1 (3.4) | 8.8 (3.4) | 9.5 (3.7) | 0.081 |
| Age at onset, years (M (SD)) | 53.4 (11.4) | 52.8 (11.1) | 53.8 (11.7) | 53.9 (12.6) | 53.8 (9.5) | 0.865 |
| Disease duration, months (M (SD)) | 15.5 (14.4) | 15.1 (14.3) | 15.2 (14.3) | 14.5 (13.2) | 20.7 (16.5) | 0.049 |
| Diagnostic delay, months (M (SD)) | 14.6 (14.0) | 14.3 (13.6) | 14.3 (14.1) | 13.6 (13.1) | 20.1 (16.6) | 0.034 |
| Onset region (B, UL, LL) | 68, 273, 206 | 30, 109, 85 | 22, 96, 75 | 10, 47, 29 | 6, 21,17 | 0.967 |
| ALSFRS-R score, (M (SD) | 41.4 (4.4) | 44.4 (2.4) | 40.8 (3.4) | 37.6 (4.2) | 36.4 (5.1) | < 0.001* |
| BMI, M (SD) | 22.6 (3.1) | 22.8 (3.1) | 22.5 (3.2) | 22.5 (3.1) | 22.5 (3.2) | 0.806 |
ALSFRS-R, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised; B, bulbar onset; UL, upper limb; LL, lower limb; BMI, body mass index; M, mean; SD, standard deviation
*Significant difference. P values were Bonferroni-adjusted