Characteristics of the multiple sclerosis (MS) study population
Characteristics at the index date | Study population n=6793 |
Women, N (%) | 4999 (73.6) |
Age (years), mean (SD) | 45.4 (13.3) |
SES, N (%) | |
1 (lowest income quintile) | 1199 (17.7) |
2 | 1303 (19.2) |
3 | 1411 (20.8) |
4 | 1468 (21.6) |
5 (highest income quintile) | 1385 (20.4) |
Unavailable | 27 (0.4) |
Comorbidities*, N (%) | |
Diabetes | 364 (5.4) |
Malignancies | 475 (7.0) |
Chronic lung diseases | 628 (9.2) |
Inflammatory bowel disease | 72 (1.1) |
Rheumatoid arthritis | 160 (2.4) |
Psoriasis | 22 (0.3) |
Number of comorbidities*, N (%) | |
None | 5306 (78.1) |
1 | 1277 (18.8) |
2 or more | 210 (3.1) |
Follow-up time (years), median (IQR) | 8.5 (4.6–12.7) |
Ever exposed† | |
Any DMT, N (%) | 1716 (25.3) |
First-generation DMTs | |
Beta-interferon, N (%) | 1386 (20.4) |
Glatiramer acetate, N (%) | 656 (9.7) |
Second-generation DMTs | |
Natalizumab, N (%) | 100 (1.5) |
Oral DMTs, N (%) | 98 (1.4) |
Fingolimod, N (%) | 61 (0.9) |
Dimethyl fumarate, N (%) | 40 (0.6) |
Number of people with ≥1 | |
Infection-related physician claim | 5765 (84.9) |
Infection-related hospitalisation | 726 (10.7) |
*Comorbidities identified during the 5 years prior to index date (diabetes, malignancies, chronic lung disease, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis); all were included to generate the ‘number of comorbidities’ shown in the table.
†No individual filled a prescription for teriflunomide, alemtuzumab or the generic beta-interferon-1b (Extavia) during the study period. As 458 individuals filled a prescription for more than one DMT group during the study period, the summed subgroups exceeds the total ever exposed (n=1716).
DMT, disease-modifying treatment; SES, socioeconomic status.