Clinical Variables

The quantitative variation in WBC and LC, considered both in terms of absolute value and of the “delta” (Δ = the difference between the absolute values of WBC and LC between two consecutive time-points), were analyzed. The baseline (T0) was compared with four different periods of treatment: T3 (3rd month ± 30 days), T6 (6th month ± 30 days), T9 (9th month ± 30 days), and T12 (12th month ± 30 days). Moreover, in order to investigate the impact of the DMF-induced lymphopenia (DIL) on the risk of clinical and MRI activity, the median of the absolute LC was calculated at each observation time, and patients were divided into two groups: those with a high DIL (DIHL, above the median) and those with a low DIL (DILL, below the median). We used this statistical (not clinical) classification to divide the study population into two equal-sized groups (50% of the LC distribution for each group).