Table 2.
(A). Characteristics of participants with RRMS and ProgMS. (B). Mean QoL T-scores of participants with RRMS and ProgMS.
| (A) | |||||||
| Demographics |
RRMS
n = 750 |
ProgMS
n = 358 |
p | Lifestyle Behaviors |
RRMS
n = 750 |
ProgMS
n = 358 |
p |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||||
| Age, years (Mean, SD) | 49.9 (11) | 58.3 (9) | <0.001 | Diet | |||
| Sex | Anti-inflammatory | ||||||
| Male | 126 (17%) | 113 (32%) | Ref. | Not used | 464 (62%) | 245 (68%) | Ref. |
| Female | 621 (83%) | 244 (68%) | <0.001 | Used/helpful | 286 (38%) | 113 (32%) | <0.05 |
| Country of birth | Low saturated fat | ||||||
| US | 634 (85%) | 308 (86%) | Ref. | Not used | 601 (80%) | 300 (84%) | Ref. |
| Other | 114 (15%) | 50 (14%) | 0.59 | Used/helpful | 149 (20%) | 58 (16%) | 0.16 |
| Ethnicity | Low carbohydrate | ||||||
| Caucasian | 688 (92%) | 337 (95%) | Ref. | Not used | 576 (77%) | 280 (78%) | Ref. |
| Other/mixed | 56 (8%) | 18 (5%) | 0.15 | Used/helpful | 174 (23%) | 78 (22%) | 0.61 |
| University degree | Other | ||||||
| Yes | 525 (70%) | 245 (68%) | Ref. | Not used | 500 (67%) | 252 (70%) | Ref. |
| No | 222 (30%) | 113 (32%) | 0.55 | Used/helpful | 250 (33%) | 106 (30%) | 0.23 |
| Partnered | Supplements | ||||||
| Yes | 530 (71%) | 274 (77%) | Ref. | Vitamin D | |||
| No | 214 (29%) | 84 (24%) | 0.06 | No | 108 (14%) | 65 (18%) | Ref. |
| Paid employment | Yes | 642 (86%) | 293 (82%) | 0.10 | |||
| Yes | 402 (54%) | 94 (27%) | Ref. | Omega-3 | |||
| No | 338 (46%) | 260 (74%) | <0.001 | Not used | 461 (61%) | 210 (59%) | Ref. |
| Household income (USD) | Used/helpful | 289 (39%) | 148 (41%) | 0.36 | |||
| ≤$50,000 | 144 (35%) | 67 (42%) | Ref. | Wellness | |||
| $50,001–100,000 | 121 (29%) | 49 (31%) | 0.56 | Mind | |||
| ≥$100,001 | 146 (35%) | 44 (28%) | 0.06 | Not used | 473 (63%) | 231 (65%) | Ref. |
| BMI | Used/helpful | 277 (37%) | 127 (36%) | 0.65 | |||
| Under/healthy | 331 (44%) | 166 (47%) | Ref. | Mind-body | |||
| Overweight | 204 (27%) | 103 (29%) | 0.99 | Not used | 456 (61%) | 224 (63%) | Ref. |
| Obese | 212 (28%) | 86 (24%) | 0.19 | Used/helpful | 294 (39%) | 134 (37%) | 0.58 |
| PDDS | Other | ||||||
| Normal/mild | 448 (60%) | 36 (10%) | Ref. | Not used | 249 (33%) | 132 (37%) | Ref. |
| Moderate | 252 (34%) | 186 (52%) | <0.001 | Used/helpful | 501 (67%) | 226 (63%) | 0.24 |
| Severe | 50 (7%) | 135 (38%) | <0.001 | Physical activity | |||
| MS duration (years) | 11.5 (9.1) | 16.1 (10.3) | <0.001 | Sedentary | 225 (30%) | 154 (43%) | Ref. |
| Moderate | 150 (20%) | 84 (24%) | 0.25 | ||||
| Active | 375 (50%) | 120 (34%) | <0.001 | ||||
| (B) | |||||||
| QoL Subdomains |
RRMS
n = 750 |
ProgMS
n = 358 |
p | ||||
| Mean (SD) T-score | Mean (SD) T-score | ||||||
| Physical | |||||||
| Mobility | 48.0 (9.0) | 38.30 (7.5) | <0.001 | ||||
| Fine motor | 46.4 (8.7) | 41.0 (9.2) | <0.001 | ||||
| Fatigue | 51.8 (9.5) | 53.3 (8.5) | <0.05 | ||||
| Sleep disturbance | 53.8 (9.0) | 53.4 (7.8) | 0.433 | ||||
| Mental | |||||||
| Anxiety | 51.8 (8.6) | 50.6 (7.6) | <0.05 | ||||
| Depression | 47.7 (8.3) | 48.4 (7.9) | 0.185 | ||||
| Positive affect | 52.5 (8.2) | 51.1 (8.1) | <0.01 | ||||
| Emotional dyscontrol | 48.6 (9.8) | 48.1 (9.2) | 0.394 | ||||
| Stigma | 49.0 (7.8) | 52.7 (6.9) | <0.001 | ||||
| Cognitive function | 45.8 (10.7) | 46.6 (10.2) | 0.259 | ||||
| Communication a | 22.1 (3.4) | 21.9 (3.5) | 0.390 | ||||
| Social | |||||||
| Participation | 46.8 (7.9) | 43.7 (6.4) | <0.001 | ||||
| Satisfaction | 45.3 (7.0) | 42.0 (5.5) | <0.001 | ||||
BMI = body mass index; MS = multiple sclerosis; PDSS = Patient Determined Disease Steps; ProgMS = progressive MS; Ref. = reference; RRMS = relapsing-remitting MS; SD = standard deviation; USD = United States Dollar. p values indicate statistical differences between RRMS and ProgMS, where bolded values indicate significance (p < 0.05). a Total raw score. Bolded mean scores indicate differences > 5 points on the T-scale metric (0.5 SD) than the clinical or US general population.