Therapy optimization in multiple sclerosis: a prospective observational study of therapy compliance and outcomes

BMC Neurology

Table 4 Baseline disease characteristics of prevalent MS patients

Characteristic	Mean	SD
Time since first symptoms (years)	11.5	9.5
Time since diagnosis (years)	9.5	8.3
Characteristic	n	%
Disease course: ^a
Relapsing-remitting	2136	72.2
Secondary progressive	351	11.9
Primary progressive	437	14.8
Progressive-relapsing	26	0.9
Clinically Isolated Syndrome	8	0.3
Number of patient-reported relapses (not physician confirmed) in past year:
0	1455	49.1
1	652	22.0
2	314	10.6
3	130	4.4
4	52	1.8
>4	110	3.7
Uncertain	253	8.5
Current patient-reported symptoms: ^b
Fatigue	2215	74.7
Impaired coordination or balance	1834	61.8
Numbness and tingling	1814	61.2
Problems with thinking or memory	1599	53.9
Decreased strength in arms or legs	1548	52.2
Difficulty walking or moving legs	1442	48.6
Bladder problems	1350	45.5
Spasticity	1262	42.5
Pain	895	30.2
Visual symptoms	889	30.0
Bowel problems	774	26.1
Sexual dysfunction	734	24.7
Difficulty with speech or swallowing	637	21.5
Difficulty moving arms or hands	621	20.9
Tremor	527	17.8
Other^c	239	8.1
Disease-modifying therapy:
GA	1475	49.7
IFNβ-1a IM	604	20.4
IFNβ-1a SC	470	15.8
IFNβ-1b	417	14.1

SD, Standard Deviation; GA, Glaitramer acetate; IFN, Interferon; IM, Intramuscular; SC, Subcutaneous.
^aDerived from responses to questions about confirmed relapses, onset of initial symptoms, and MS status relative to six months ago; 8 subjects did not have required information. ^bMultiple responses were allowed; ^cMost commonly: Severe headaches/migraines, vertigo/dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, seizures.

ISSN: 1471-2377