Serum Ferroxidase Activity in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study

Serum ferroxidase activity was significantly higher in patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NIND) than in those with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory neurological disorders (OIND) (p<0.01) (A) without any further statistical differences between patients with MS grouped according to clinical (p=0.5277) (B) and magnetic resonance imaging evidence of disease activity (p=0.8010) (C) by unpaired t-test with Welch's correction. Each point represents a single observation, including outliers. Horizontal bars indicate means and error bars correspond to standard deviations. CA: Clinically active (presence of relapse at entry); CS: clinically stable (absence of relapse at entry); Gd⁺: MRI appearance of gadolium-enhancing lesions; Gd⁻: no MRI evidence of gadolium-enhancing lesion; EDSS: expanded disability status scale.