Clinical and demographic features of RR and SP patients
| Characteristics | RR MS | SP MS | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 272 | 534 | |
| Women, n (%) | 208 (76.5) | 346 (64.8) | <0.001* |
| Men, n (%) | 64 (23.5) | 188 (35.2) | |
| F/M ratio | 3.3 | 1.8 | |
| Age at onset (years), mean (SD) | 26.8 (8.13) | 29.4 (9.22) | <0.001† |
| Disease duration (years), mean (SD) | 20.3 (9.18) | 26.5 (10.0) | <0.001† |
| Monosymptomatic onset, n (%) | 173 (63.6) | 362 (67.8) | 0.19* |
| Polysymptomatic onset, n (%) | 97 (35.7) | 165 (30.9) | |
| Information not available, n (%) | 2 (0.7) | 7 (1.3) | |
| Type of initial presentation, n (%) | |||
| Motor | 40 (14.7) | 105 (19.7) | 0.08* |
| Sensory | 159 (58.5) | 279 (52.2) | 0.09* |
| Cerebellar | 16 (5.9) | 35 (6.6) | 0.71* |
| Brainstem | 59 (21.7) | 108 (20.2) | 0.63* |
| Optic | 56 (20.6) | 118 (22.1) | 0.62* |
| Bowel/bladder | 9 (3.3) | 16 (3.0) | 0.81* |
| Relapse rate in year 1–2 (attacks/year), mean (median) | 0.97 (0.75) | 0.91 (0.5) | 0.18† |
| Relapse rate in RR phase (attacks/year), mean (median) | 0.65 (0.40) | ||
| Duration of RR phase (years), mean (median) | 10.7 (9) | ||
| DSS score at onset of SP, mean (median) | 2.9 (3) | ||
| Kaplan–Meier estimated mean (median) time (years) from disease onset to | |||
| DSS 6 | 15.7 (14) | ||
| DSS 8 | 26.5 (24) | ||
| DSS 10 | 44.8 (45) | ||
| Kaplan–Meier estimated mean (median) time (years) from OPP to | |||
| DSS 6 | 5.3 (3) | ||
| DSS 8 | 15.2 (12) | ||
| DSS 10 | 32.5 (30) | ||
*χ2 test; †Wilcoxon rank test.
DSS, Disability Status Scale; MS, multiple sclerosis; OPP, onset of progressive phase; RR, relapsing remitting; SP, secondary progressive.