Table 1.
Demographic and MRI characteristics of the 3 groups.
| Healthy volunteers | Early multiple sclerosis | Progressive multiple sclerosis | Healthy vs. Early MS | Healthy vs. progressive MS | Early MS vs. progressive MS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 92 | 47 | 52 | |||
| % Female | 63 | 75 | 65 | |||
| Age (years) | 37.3 ± 10.6 | 31.8 ± 8.0 | 49.9 ± 7.2 | p = 0.24 KW | p < 0.001 KW | p < 0.001 KW |
| Disease duration* | – | 4.7 ± 5.4 months | 19.48 ± 7.8 years | – | – | p < 0.001 MW |
| EDSS | – | 2.0 (1.0 – 3.5) | 5.5 (3.5 – 6.5) | – | – | p < 0.001 MW |
| T2 lesion volume (ml) | – | 6.7 ± 8.7 | 14.1 ± 15.2 | – | – | p < 0.001 MW |
| T2 lesion count | – | 22 (1–128) | 28 (3–68) | – | – | p < 0.001 MW |
| Brain volume (%) | 80.0 ± 2.2 | 79.4 ± 2.9 | 74.9 ± 3.8 | p = 1.0 KW | p < 0.001 KW | p < 0.001 KW |
| Lateral ventricles (%) | 1.3 ± 0.4 | 1.5 ± 0.6 | 2.2 ± 1.2 | p = 0.001 KW | p < 0.001 KW | p = 0.025 KW |
| White matter (%) | 31.7 ± 1.6 | 31.0 ± 2.4 | 29.9 ± 2.7 | p = 0.308 A | p < 0.001 A | p = 0.049 A |
| Gray matter (%) | 48.3 ± 2.3 | 48.4 ± 2.2 | 45.0 ± 2.0 | p = 0.9 A | p < 0.001 A | p < 0.001 A |
Legend: All volumes are shown as % of total intracranial volume, except for lesion volumes which are in millilitres, and lesion count. All measures are mean ± SD except lesion count (median, range). EDSS = Expanded Disability Status Scale.
*Disease duration is shown in years for patients with progressive multiple sclerosis and in months for patients with early multiple sclerosis.
A
= ANOVA; KW = Kruskal-Wallis test; MW = Mann Whitney U test.