MRI white matter signal abnormality (all sizes) characteristics of non-familial healthy control subjects and the healthy relatives of patients with multiple sclerosis
| Non-Familial HCs (n = 82) | Healthy Relatives of Patients with MS (n = 68) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects with WM SAs, n (%) | 29 (35.4) | 28 (41.2) | .465 |
| Subjects with WM JC SAs, n (%) | 4 (4.9) | 7 (10.3) | .205 |
| Subjects with WM PVL SAs, n (%) | 7 (8.5) | 14 (20.6) | .034 |
| Subjects with WM IT SAs, n (%) | 1 (1.2) | 1 (1.5) 0 | .894 |
| Subjects with DWM SAs, n (%) | 28 (34.1) | 26 (38.2) | .603 |
| Subjects with ≥9 WM SAs, n (%) | 5 (6.1) | 8 (11.8) | .219 |
| WM-SAN, mean (SD) median | 2.5 (7.5) 0 | 3.8 (10) 0 | .386 |
| WM JC SAN, mean (SD) median | 0.07 (0.3) 0 | 0.19 (0.7) 0 | .207 |
| WM PVL SAN, mean (SD) median | 0.41 (2.1) 0 | 0.57 (1.9) 0 | .043 |
| WM IT SAN, mean (SD) median | 0.01 (0.1) 0 | 0.01 (0.12) 0 | .894 |
| WM DWM SAN, mean (SD) median | 1.9 (5.3) 0 | 3.1 (8.5) 0 | .468 |
| WM-SAV, mean (SD) median | 198.2 (1085.2) | 259.7 (784.4) | .338 |
| DAWM-SAV,a mean (SD) median | 675.3 (554.7) | 866.2 (669.3) | .054 |
| WM-SAV + DAWM-SAV, mean (SD) median | 873.5 (1233.5) | 1125.9 (1076.8) | .025 |
Note:—SAs indicates signal abnormalities; SAN, signal abnormality number; JC, juxtacortical; PVL, periventricular; IT, infratentorial; DWM, deep white matter; SAV, signal abnormality volume.
Differences between the groups were compared by means of the χ2 test or Mann-Whitney U test.
The SAV is expressed in millimeters cubed (mm3).
↵a DAWM calculation was not related to the size of the hyperintensities.