Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population. Cohort 1 and cohort 2 included patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), while cohort 3 included patients with the clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Data were referred to the time of lumbar puncture.
| Males | Females | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohort 1, MS: Ferrara (Italy): n | 77 | 189 | |
| Age, years: median (IQR) | 37 (29.0–45.0) a | 36 (29.4–44.5) b | 0.9270 |
| Clinical activity: n (%) | 55 (71.4) | 143 (75.7) | |
| Disease duration, months: median (IQR) | 27 (3.5–79.5) c | 12.5 (3.0–59.75) d | 0.1419 |
| EDSS: median (IQR) | 3.0 (1.5–3.5) e | 2.5 (1.5–3.5) f | 0.5651 |
| Cohort 2, MS: San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy): n | 32 | 42 | |
| Age, years: median (IQR) | 39 (26–46) a | 38.5 (28–47) b | 0.6080 |
| Clinical activity: n (%) | 27 (84.4) | 35 (83.3) | >0.9999 |
| Disease duration, months: median (IQR) | 12 (1–46) c | 10 (1–46) d | 0.9719 |
| EDSS: median (IQR) | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) e | 2.0 (1.5–3.0) f | 0.8315 |
| Cohort 3, CIS: Ulm (Germany): n | 32 | 57 | |
| Age, years: median (IQR) | 30 (24–42) | 36 (26–46) | 0.1660 |
| Disease duration, months: median (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–6) | >0.9999 |
Continuous variables were compared with Mann–Whitney U test and categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact test. There were no differences between cohort 1 and 2 for age (Mann–Whitney: a p = 0.7292 and b p = 0.8601), disease duration (Mann–Whitney: c p = 0.1185 and d p = 0.3974), and EDSS (Mann–Whitney: e p = 0.1531 and f p = 0.2563). EDSS, expanded disability status scale; IQR, interquartile range.