Table 1.
Baseline demographical and clinical characteristics.
| HC (n = 18) | Patients with MS (n = 85) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 45.2 (13.5) | 46.4 (10.1) | 0.720a |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.146b | ||
| Female | 10 (55.6) | 64 (75.3) | |
| Male | 8 (44.4) | 21 (24.7) | |
| Level of education, n (%) | 0.601b | ||
| Low | 0 (0.0) | 2 (2.4) | |
| Middle | 4 (22.2) | 28 (32.9) | |
| High | 14 (77.8) | 55 (64.7) | |
| MS type, n (%) | n.a. | ||
| Relapsing-remitting | 51 (60.0) | ||
| Secondary progressive | 25 (29.4) | ||
| Primary progressive | 9 (10.6) | ||
| Disease duration, years, median (IQR) | n.a. | ||
| Since diagnosis | 5.7 (3.0–13.5) | ||
| Since onset | 11.3 (5.1–17.7) | ||
| EDSS, median (IQR) | 3.5 (2.5–4.0) | n.a. | |
| NHPT, median (IQR) | 21.0 (19.4–23.9) | n.a. | |
| SDMT, mean (SD) | 54.5 (10.4) | n.a. | |
| FSS, median (IQR) | 2.0 (1.7–2.3) | 4.4 (3.4–5.1) | <0.001c |
| CIS-F, median (IQR) | 17.5 (13.0–24.0) | 35.0 (27.0–42.0) | <0.001c |
HC: healthy controls; MS: multiple sclerosis; EDSS: Expanded Disability Status Scale; NHPT: Nine-Hole Peg Test; SDMT: Symbol Digit Modalities Test; FSS: Fatigue Severity Scale; CIS-F: Checklist Individual Strength Fatigue subscale; SD: standard deviation; IQR: interquartile range.
a
Independent t-test.
b
Fisher’s Exact test.
c
Mann–Whitney U-test.