TABLE 1.
Characteristics of the study groups
| MS patients with CNP | MS patients with MSP | MS patients pain free | ANOVA# | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants (number) | 44 | 28 | 40 | |
| Age (years, m±SD) | 42.7 (10.7) | 48.0 (12.0)3** | 39.3 (12.2) | <0.05 |
| Sex (females, %) | 29 (64.4) | 21 (75.0) | 24 (57.1) | 0.31 |
| Employment (yes, %) | 18 (40.9)2* | 14 (50.0)3** | 34 (81.0) | <0.01 |
| Education (years, m±SD) | 14.2 (2.3) | 14.4 (3.7) | 15.0 (2.5) | 0.40 |
| MS (years, m±SD) | 9.6 (6.5)1** | 16.6 (9.0)3** | 10.9 (6.4) | <0.01 |
| EDSS (m±SD) | 4.3 (2.0)2** | 5.0 (1.7)3** | 3.1 (1.7) | <0.01 |
| MS Type (RR, %)^ | 39 (88.6) | 19 (67.9)3** | 39 (97.5) | < 0.01 |
| IMiDs (yes, %) | 38 (86.4) | 24 (88.9) | 32 (80.0) | 0.62 |
| Steroids (yes, %) | 14 (31.8) | 6 (22.2) | 18 (45.0) | 0.12 |
| Pain medications | ||||
| NSAIDs (yes, %) | 14 (29.8)2** | 4 (14.8) | 1 (2.4) | <0.01 |
| Antiepileptics (yes, %) | 11 (25.0) | 5 (18.5) | ─ | 0.49 |
| Medical marijuana (yes, %) | 8 (18.1) | 3 (11.1) | ─ | 0.37 |
| Opioids (yes, %) | 6 (13.6) | 1 (3.7) | ─ | 0.14 |
| SNRI (yes, %) | 6 (13.6) | 2 (7.4) | ─ | 0.49 |
MS=Multiple Sclerosis, CNP=central neuropathic pain, MSP=musculoskeletal pain, m=mean, SD=Standard Deviation, EDSS=Expanded Disability Status Scale, RR=Relapsing Remitting (^the rest are secondary progressive MS), IMiDs=Immunomodulatory drugs, NSAIDs=Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, SNRI=Serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, #p‐values of ANOVA effects (parametric and non‐parametric tests). Asterisks are post hoc corrected two‐tailed t‐tests (for parametric variables) or corrected two‐tailed Mann–Whitney tests (for non‐parametric variables) between each two groups: 1= MS patients with central neuropathic pain vs. MS patients with musculoskeletal pain, 2= MS patients with central neuropathic pain vs. MS patients without pain, 3= MS patients with musculoskeletal pain vs. MS patients without pain (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01).