Small internal jugular veins with restricted outflow are associated with severe multiple sclerosis: a sonographer-blinded, case–control ultrasound study

Table 3 Characteristics of patients with MS according to small IJV status

Parameter	Patients (n = 67)		Controls (n = 21)		p
	small IJV-	small IJV+	small IJV-	small IJV+
n (%)	48 (71.6)	19 (28.4)	15 (71.2)	6 (28.8)	ns*
Female/male (%)	45.8/54.2	52.6/47.4	40/60	16.7/83.3	ns, ns
Age at onset (years ± SD)	27.4 ± 7.1	28.0 ± 8.7	-		0.8^#
Disease duration (years ± SD)	7.2 ± 5.4	13.8 ± 6.0			0.00004^#
Disease course, n (%)			-		0.0002*
CIS	5 (10.4)	0 (0)
RR	35(72.9)	6 (31.6)
CP	8 (16.7)	13 (68.4)
Total	48 (100)	19 (100)
MSSS (mean ± SD)	4.8 ± 2.1	6.8 ± 2.2	-		0.002^#
EDSS (mean ± SD)	3.2 ± 1.8	5.6 ± 1.9			0.00003^#

Small IJV: small internal jugular vein (CSA ≤ 0.4 cm²); CIS: clinically isolated syndrome; RR: relapsing-remitting; CP: chronic progressive (including secondary progressive and primary progressive); MSSS: Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score; EDSS: Expanded Disability Status Scale; * χ ²; ^# ANOVA; the values represent the means ± SD; ns: non-significant.

ISSN: 1471-2377