Table 1 Characteristics of the pediatric-onset MS cases and controls at the time of food frequency questionnaire completion (unless otherwise stated)

From: Mediterranean diet and associations with the gut microbiota and pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis using trivariate analysis

Characteristic

MS cases, n = 44

Controls, n = 51

Sex, female: No. (%)

33 (75%)

32 (63%)

Self-identified race: Whitea, No. (%)

14 (32%)

12 (24%)

Age, years: median (Q1, Q3)

18 (16, 19)

16 (15, 18)

Age- and sex-specific BMI percentilesb: median (Q1, Q3)

71 (48, 85)

54 (29, 81)

Overweight/obese (≥85th percentiles)b: No. (%)

8 (18%)

7 (14%)

Atopy-related conditions (asthma, dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne): No. (%)

8 (18%)

7 (14%)

Other comorbiditiesc: No. (%)

3 (7%)

1 (2%)

Cigarette smoking (ever)d: No. (%)

2 (5%)

0 (0%)

Dietary intake

Mean (SD):

aMED scoree

2.6 (1.4)

3.4 (1.4)

Median (Q1, Q3):

Total energy (kcal/day)

1100 (800, 1400)

1100 (830, 1400)

Whole-grains (oz equiv./day)

0.33 (0.11, 0.56)

0.48 (0.26, 0.92)

Fiber (g/day)

9.4 (5.7, 12)

11 (7.9, 15)

Iron (mg/day)

7.2 (5.6, 10)

8.7 (6.2, 11)

MS specific

Age at symptom onset, years: median (Q1, Q3)

16 (14, 17)

–

Disease duration, years: median (Q1, Q3)

0.81 (0.43, 3.9)

–

Disease-modifying drug exposure status (ever/naïve)f: No. (%)

26 (59%)/ 18 (41%)

–

Ever beta-interferon

13 (30%)

–

Ever glatiramer acetate

8 (18%)

–

Ever dimethyl fumarate

3 (7%)

–

Otherg

2 (5%)

–

Subgroup only: Microbiota-related metric

MS cases, n = 27

Controls, n = 32

Bristol Stool Scaleh: median (range)

3 (2–6)

4 (1–7)

Hard (types 1–2): No. (%)

6 (22%)

6 (19%)

Medium (types 3–5): No. (%)

18 (67%)

25 (78%)

Loose (types 6–7): No. (%)

3 (11%)

1 (3%)

  1. MS cases (n = 44) and controls (n = 51) differed by age (P = 0.011, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). Other than dietary intake, no other characteristics differed (P > 0.16). The median (Q1, Q2) number of the absolute days between these two time points for all participants was 6.0 (3.0, 15).
  2. aThe number of MS/controls missing race data was 18/21.
  3. bThe number of MS/controls missing body mass index (BMI) data was 14/20.
  4. cOther comorbidities were: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 1 MS), holoprosencephaly (n = 1 MS), hypothalamic/pituitary dysfunction (n = 1 MS), and hypothyroidism (n = 1 control).
  5. dIncludes passive and active smokers.
  6. eFor the aMED, no participant scored 7 (representing the highest resemblance to a Mediterranean diet) while 1 MS case (and no controls) scored 0.
  7. fEver/naïve refers to ever or never use of a disease-modifying drug. The number of MS cases ever a disease-modifying drug or never using was the same whether assessed at the time of pre-FFQ completion or pre-stool sample collection.
  8. gOther disease-modifying drugs at the time pre-FFQ were: rituximab (n = 1) and natalizumab (n = 1).
  9. hThe Bristol stool types were recorded at the time of stool sample collection.
Back to article page