Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics for all patients, split by progression status at 5 yearsa
| Sustained Disease Progression (n = 90) | Stable Disease (n = 90) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female (No.) (%) | 68 (75.6) | 73 (81.1) | .4 |
| Age (yr) (mean) (SD) (median) | 31.9 (7.9) 31.5 | 29.5 (7.8) 28.5 | .04 |
| Disease duration (yr) (mean) (SD) (median) | 6.0 (5.8) 4.0 | 4.0 (4.3) 3.0 | .01 |
| EDSS (mean) (SD) | 2.0 (1.0) | 1.8 (0.8) | .2 |
| Median (range) | 2.0 (0–3.5) | 2.0 (0–3.5) | |
| Treatment assignment (No.) (%) | |||
| IFN-β 1a monotherapy | 25 (27.8%) | 34 (37.8%) | .3 |
| IFN-β 1a + AZA | 32 (35.6%) | 26 (28.9%) | |
| IFN-β 1a + AZA + Steroids | 33 (36.7%) | 30 (33.3%) | |
| Treatment switchb | |||
| Did not switch | 34 (38%) | 62 (69%) | <.0001 |
| Switched | 56 (62%) | 26 (29%) |
Note:—IFN-β indicates interferon-β; AZA, azathioprine.
↵a The difference of the means between the groups was calculated using the Student t test, Pearson χ2 test, or Mann-Whitney rank sum test, as appropriate.
↵b Treatment switch was defined on the basis of a derived yes/no variable as to whether patients changed treatment status during the 5-year follow-up.