Baseline demographic, clinical, and biological characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with tocilizumab (n = 45).
| Characteristic | |
|---|---|
| Age, yrs, mean ± SD | 58.9 ± 14.6 |
| Women, % (n) | 75.6 (34) |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean ± SD | 13 ± 9.9 |
| No. previous biotherapies (%) | |
| 0 | 5 (11.1) |
| 1 | 8 (17.8) |
| 2 | 8 (17.8) |
| ≥ 3 | 24 (53.3) |
| Rheumatoid factor, % positive (n) | 77.8 (35) |
| ACPA, % positive (n) | 62.2 (28) |
| Tender joints, mean ± SD | 8.9 ± 7.4 |
| Swollen joints, mean ± SD | 5.8 ± 5.9 |
| Patient global assessment, 100 mm VAS, mean ± SD | 59.4 ± 20.4 |
| ESR, mm/h, mean ± SD | 35.6 ± 26.6 |
| Levels of CRP, mg/l, mean ± SD | 26.2 ± 34.5 |
| DAS28 (ESR), mean ± SD | 5.11 ± 1.58 |
| Patients taking methotrexate | 27 |
| Methotrexate dosage, mg/wk (range) | 15 (15–20) |
| Patients taking prednisone | 35 |
| Prednisone dosage, mg/day (range) | 9 (7–10) |
ACPA: anticitrullinated protein antibodies; VAS: visual analog scale; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; DAS28: 28-joint Disease Activity Score.