Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41000265›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in neurological disorders2025

Sex differences in relapse-independent and relapse-associated disability progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a real-world inverse-probability weighted study.

Matteo Foschi, Damiano Marastoni, Ivan Panzera, Luca Mancinelli, Cristiana Ganino, Gianmarco Abbadessa, Lucio D'Anna, Francesca Gabriele, Simona Sacco, Elisabetta Signoriello and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Matteo FoschiDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, S. Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Viale Vincenzo Randi 5, Ravenna 48121, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0321-7155
Damiano MarastoniNeurology B, Department of Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0358-9431
Ivan PanzeraDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, S. Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Luca MancinelliDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Cesena, Italy.
Cristiana GaninoDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, Infermi Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Rimini, Italy.
Gianmarco AbbadessaDepartment of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy.
Lucio D'AnnaDepartment of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6794-3850
Francesca GabrieleDepartment of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Simona SaccoDepartment of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Elisabetta SignorielloSecond Division of Neurology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5753-6752
Alessandra LugaresiDepartment of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Elena TsantesNeurology Unit, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, Parma University Hospital, Parma, Italy.
Maria Grazia PiscagliaDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, S. Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Andrea SurcinelliDepartment of Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis Center-Neurology Unit, S. Maria delle Croci Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) progression are poorly characterized, especially for disability worsening independent of relapses. Objectives: To assess sex-specific risks of progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA), relapse and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity (PIRMA), and relapse-associated worsening (RAW) in a real-world MS cohort, quantify each event's contribution to disability accumulation, and explore variation across clinical subgroups. Design: Inverse probability-weighted analysis of adults with relapsing-remitting MS ambispectively enrolled in a local registry who had their first recorded neurological evaluation within 12 months of MS onset. Methods: We used weighted conditional proportional hazard models for recurrent events, adjusted for visit/MRI frequency, to compare risks between sexes. We also tested the homogeneity of sex effects across prespecified subgroups: age at MS onset, symptom location at onset, presence of ⩾10 T2-hyperintense brain lesions, ⩾1 spinal T2 lesion, ⩾1 Gadolinium-enhancing brain lesion at baseline, initial MS treatment type, and percentage of follow-up time on disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Results: We included 492 people with MS (median age 44.0 years, interquartile range (IQR) 35.0-53.6; 68.9% women), followed for a median of 5.1 years (IQR 3.1-7.2). In the weighted cohort, women had higher hazards of PIRA (hazard ratio (HR) 2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-3.70; Conclusion: Women, especially postmenopausal, had higher PIRA/PIRMA risk, but disability worsening per event was greater in men, associations varied by onset phenotype and initial DMT strategy.

Indexed as

disabilitymultiple sclerosisprogression independent of relapse activityprogression independent of relapse and MRI activityrelapse-associated worseningsex

Identifiers

PMID41000265
PMCPMC12457755

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.