Table 1 Demographic and baseline clinical characteristics of the MS patients and healthy controls

Initial cohort

 N

24

20

20

17

5

 Age (years)

30.2 (7.2)

30.0 (7.8)

45.7 (8.7)

50.2 (7.3)

30.8 (8.7)

 Female/male (% women)

18/6 (75.0)

10/10 (50.0)

11/9 (55.0)

11/6 (64.7)

2/3 (40.0)

 Duration of disease (years)

–

4.8 (4.6)

11.5 (7.6)

12.2 (7.9)

2.2 (2.7)

 EDSS^a

–

1.7 (1.0–4.2)

4.0 (3.5–5.1)

6.0 (4.0–6.0)

3.0 (2.5–5.3)

 Numbers of relapses^b

–

2.2 (0.7)

0.8 (0.8)

–

2.6 (1.3)

Validation cohort

 N

12

13

 Age (years)

28.2 (6.0)

37.6 (9.3)

 Female/male (% women)

8/3 (72.7)

12/2 (85.7)

 Duration of disease (years)

–

3.8 (3.2)

 EDSS^a

–

2.5 (1.0–3.5)

 Numbers of relapses^b

–

2.5 (0.8)