Table 1.
Clinical variables overall and according to the tertiles of ΔFS distribution.
| Variable | Category | All (N = 241) | I: Slow progression rate of disease (N = 81) | II: Intermediate progression rate of disease (N = 80) | III: Fast progression rate of disease (N = 80) | p-value | SMD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country—N (%) | Italy | 206 (85.5) | 71 (87.7) | 67 (83.8) | 68 (85.0) | 0.773 | 0.074 |
| Moldova and Romania | 35 (14.5) | 10 (12.3) | 13 (16.2) | 12 (15.0) | |||
| Gender—N (%) | Males | 145 (60.2) | 53 (65.4) | 44 (55.0) | 48 (60.0) | 0.401 | 0.143 |
| Females | 96 (39.8) | 28 (34.6) | 36 (45.0) | 32 (40.0) | |||
| Age at interview (years) | Mean ± SD | 62.4 ± 11.0 | 59.8 ± 12.3 | 63.6 ± 10.4 | 63.9 ± 9.8 | 0.032 | 0.241 |
| Age at onset (years) | Mean ± SD | 59.9 ± 11.8 | 54.6 ± 12.9 | 62.0 ± 10.5 | 63.2 ± 9.8 | <0.001 | 0.502 |
| Diagnostic delay (years) | Median (range) | 0.9 (0.1–15.8) | 1.7 (0.1–15.8) | 0.8 (0.1–4.1) | 0.5 (0.1–1.8) | <0.001* | 1.020* |
| Education (years) | Mean ± SD | 10.4 ± 4.4 | 11.1 ± 4.4 | 10.6 ± 4.3 | 9.5 ± 4.2 | 0.058 | 0.248 |
| Site of onset—N (%) | Spinal | 187 (77.6) | 71 (87.7) | 53 (66.2) | 63 (78.8) | 0.005 | 0.349 |
| Bulbar | 54 (22.4) | 10 (12.3) | 27 (33.8) | 17 (21.2) | |||
| El Escorial ALS—N (%) | Definite | 74 (30.7) | 16 (19.8) | 25 (31.2) | 33 (41.2) | 0.014 | 0.460 |
| Possible | 55 (22.8) | 23 (28.4) | 23 (28.7) | 9 (11.2) | |||
| Probable | 77 (32.0) | 26 (32.1) | 23 (28.7) | 28 (35.0) | |||
| Suspected | 35 (14.5) | 16 (19.8) | 9 (11.2) | 10 (12.5) | |||
| FVC—N (%) | <80% | 88 (43.8) | 20 (29.0) | 32 (47.1) | 36 (56.2) | 0.005 | 0.379 |
| ≥80% | 113 (56.2) | 49 (71.0) | 36 (52.9) | 28 (43.8) | |||
| BMI at interview—N (%) | <18.5 | 15 (6.2) | 5 (6.2) | 4 (5.0) | 6 (7.5) | 0.967 | 0.083 |
| 18.5–24.9 | 121 (50.2) | 42 (51.9) | 40 (50.0) | 39 (48.8) | |||
| ≥25 | 105 (43.6) | 34 (42.0) | 36 (45.0) | 35 (43.8) | |||
| ALSFRS-R | Mean ± SD | 34.9 ± 8.3 | 38.8 ± 6.9 | 35.2 ± 7.5 | 30.6 ± 8.4 | <0.001 | 0.713 |
| Riluzole—N (%) | Yes | 129 (53.5) | 41 (50.6) | 47 (58.8) | 41 (51.2) | 0.517 | 0.109 |
| No | 112 (46.5) | 40 (49.4) | 33 (41.2) | 39 (48.8) | |||
| Coffee consumption status—N (%) | Decaffeinated only | 6 (2.5) | 1 (1.2) | 2 (2.5) | 3 (3.8) | 0.929 | 0.147 |
| Current consumer | 179 (74.3) | 62 (76.5) | 60 (75.0) | 57 (71.2) | |||
| Former consumer | 22 (9.1) | 6 (7.4) | 7 (8.8) | 9 (11.2) | |||
| Non- consumer | 34 (14.1) | 12 (14.8) | 11 (13.8) | 11 (13.8) | |||
| Tea consumption status—N (%) | Current consumer | 101 (41.9) | 32 (39.5) | 36 (45.0) | 33 (41.2) | 0.970 | 0.075 |
| Former consumer | 6 (2.5) | 2 (2.5) | 2 (2.5) | 2 (2.5) | |||
| Non-consumer | 134 (55.6) | 47 (58.0) | 42 (52.5) | 45 (56.2) | |||
| Alcohol-drinking status—N (%) | Current drinker | 157 (65.1) | 52 (64.2) | 59 (73.8) | 46 (57.5) | 0.054 | 0.321 |
| Former drinker | 18 (7.5) | 5 (6.2) | 2 (2.5) | 11 (13.8) | |||
| Non-drinker | 66 (27.4) | 24 (29.6) | 19 (23.8) | 23 (28.7) | |||
| Cigarette smoking status—N (%) | Current smoker | 28 (11.6) | 10 (12.3) | 10 (12.5) | 8 (10.0) | 0.403 | 0.188 |
| Former smoker | 93 (38.6) | 28 (34.6) | 27 (33.8) | 38 (47.5) | |||
| Non-smoker | 120 (49.8) | 43 (53.1) | 43 (53.8) | 34 (42.5) | |||
| Current consumers of both coffee and tea—N (%) | Yes | 72 (29.9) | 25 (30.9) | 25 (31.2) | 22 (27.5) | 0.850 | 0.055 |
| No | 169 (70.1) | 56 (69.1) | 55 (68.8) | 58 (72.5) |
Missing values were excluded from the analysis and percentages were computed out of the total number of observations. p-values from ANOVA models or Chi-Square statistics for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. SMD, standardized mean difference (i.e., the average of all possible standardized mean differences).
*
ANOVA model and SMD were computed on log values. Tertiles of ΔFS distribution are: ≤ 0.333 (I); 0.334 – 0.875 (II); >0.875 (III).