Table 1.
Clinical and CSF data.
| DMT Moderate Efficacy (n = 20) | DMT High Efficacy (n = 10) | DMT Very High Efficacy (n = 30) | Patients without DMT (n = 90) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| age | 49 (44;56) | 38 (30;42) | 37 (32;48) | 38 (27;48) | 0.004 |
| female (n; %) | 12 (60) | 5 (50) | 27 (90) | 60 (67) | 0.018 |
| number of DMT before actual therapy | 0 (0;1) | 2 (1;3) | 2 (1;3) | - | |
| DMT | INFß-1a n = 5 | fingolimod n = 7 | alemtuzumab n = 8 | ||
| INFß-1b n = 3 | daclizumab n = 3 | natalizumab n = 14 | |||
| glatiramer acetate n = 2 | rituximab/ocrelizumab n = 7 | ||||
| dimethyl fumarate n = 4 | mitoxantrone n = 1 | ||||
| teriflunomide n = 3 | |||||
| triamcinolone n = 3 | |||||
| Mean duration of intake | 3.47 years | 344 days | |||
| Interval between last drug administration and LP in days | alemtuzumab 359 (147;468) anti-CD20 therapies 88 (39;143) natalizumab 30 (14;40) |
||||
| Disease duration (y) | 9.5 (4;18) | 12 (7;13) | 7 (4;10.75) | ||
| EDSS | 3 (1.5;5) | 5.8 (3;6.9) | 5 (2.6;6.4) | 1.8 (1;2.6) | <0.0001 |
| MRI Gd enhancement (n; %) | 2/16 (12.5) | 4/8 (50) | 5/26 (19.2) | 53/87 (60.9) | <0.001 |
| ARR * before LP | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | - | 0.08 |
| NEDA-3 (n; %) before LP | 8/18 (44.4) | 0/9 | 5/30 (16.7) | - | 0.017 |
| MS type | RRMS n = 15 | RRMS n = 9 | RRMS n = 24 | RRMS n = 52 | |
| PMS n = 5 | PMS n = 1 | PMS n = 6 | CIS n = 30, PMS n = 8 | ||
| CSF data | |||||
| Qalb * 10−3 | 6.8 (4.41;9.89) | 6.1 (5.4;6.9) | 5.1 (4;7.1) | 5.1 (4.2;6.8) | 0.349 |
| QigG * 10−3 | 4.6 (3.55;6.83) | 6.2 (5.4;9) | 4 (3;6.4) | 4.4 (3.1;5.9) | 0.129 |
| IgG loc | 52.3 (41.5;59) | 62.7 (48.3;74.2) | 34 (23;48) | 46 (34;69.9) | 0.005 |
| IgG IF | 0 (0;21.5) | 21 (16;47) | 0 (0;31) | 5 (0;38) | 0.264 |
| OCB pos (n; %) | 19/20 (95) | 9/9 (100) | 26/30 (87) | 85/90 (94) | 0.826 |
| FLCκ serum (mg/L) | 11.9 (9.3;14.5) | 10.6 (9.2;12.9) | 10.7 (7.5;11.8) | 11.8 (9.3;14) | 0.067 |
| FLCκ CSF (mg/L) | 2.3 (0.95;4.7) | 6 (2.6;9.98) | 1.2 (0.4;2.3) | 3.7 (1.1; 6.6) | <0.0001 |
| FLCκ index | 25.8 (18.9;77.1) | 96.4 (56.6;186.9) | 26.5 (6.98;56.2) | 58.6 (18.4;123.4) | 0.002 |
| FLCκ loc | 2.2 (0.75;4.53) | 5.9 (2.4;9.9) | 1.1 (0.3;2.1) | 3.49 (0.96;6.4) | <0.0001 |
| FLCκ IF | 88 (80;95) | 97 (93;98) | 88 (55;92) | 94 (81;97) | 0.001 |
Continuous data are displayed as median (1st; 3rd quartile); nominal data are given as percentages. EDSS—expanded disability status scale, CSF—cerebrospinal fluid, Qalb—albumin quotient, QIgG—immunoglobulin G quotient, OCB—oligoclonal band, FLCκ—free light chains kappa, IF—intrathecal fraction, MS—multiple sclerosis, DMT—disease-modifying therapy, LP—lumbar puncture, RRMS—relapsing–remitting MS, PMS—progressive MS, INF—interferon, Gd—gadolinium, NEDA—no evidence of disease activity [25], ARR—annualized relapse rate; * defined as the total number of relapses per patient per year. Intergroup comparison was performed using the Kruskal–Wallis test or the Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact test for nominal data. p values ≤ 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant.