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Table 2 Characteristics of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls

From: Repetitive element hypermethylation in multiple sclerosis patients

Characteristics

MS patients

Healthy controls

p-value

n = 51

n = 137

Age (years)

   

 Mean ± SD

39.6 ± 8.1

41.4 ± 9.1

>0.1

Gender

   

 Female

38 (74.5)

100 (73.0)

>0.1

 Male

13 (25.5)

37 (27.0)

-

Smoking habita

   

 Yes

15 (35.3)

52 (38.0)

>0.1

 No

33 (64.7)

85 (62.0)

-

Neurological episodes

   

 Only one

30 (58.8)

-

 

 At least two

21 (41.2)

-

 

Disabilityb

   

 EDSS = 1.0

18 (36.0)

-

 

 1.5 ≤ EDSS ≤ 2.5

17 (34.0)

-

 

 3.0 ≤ EDSS ≤ 7

15 (30.0)

-

 

Onset of MS

   

 1981 – 1999

18 (35.3)

-

 

 2000 – 2004

15 (29.4)

-

 

 2005 – 2010

18 (35.3)

-

 

Multisystem deficits at onset

   

 Yes

14 (27.5)

-

 

 No

37 (72.5)

-

 

Oligoclonal Bands in CSFc

   

 Yes

44 (89.8)

-

 

 No

5 (10.2)

-

 

Methylation markers (%5mC)

   

 Alu d

25.3 ± 0.6

24.5 ± 1.1

<0.001

 LINE-1

85.1 ± 1.4

82.6 ± 2.8

<0.001

 SAT- α

80.3 ± 2.6

78.9 ± 2.8

0.014

  1. Data is presented as Mean ± SD or number (%). Disability is defined as ‘expanded disability status scale’ (EDSS)
  2. Statistical comparison: student t-test between MS patients versus healthy controls: age and methylation markers. Chi-Square, total population: gender (50 males versus 138 females) and smoking habit (67 smokers versus 118 non-smokers)
  3. aData available for: 48, b50 and c49 MS patients and d135 healthy controls