Factors predicting longterm treatment success with rituximab (RTX). Patients who continued RTX treatment were previously treated with a significantly lower number of anti-TNF agents in comparison with those who discontinued RTX during the study. Additionally, prevalence of RF and anti-CCP positivity was significantly higher in the group that continued treatment. DAS28, age, sex, and disease duration did not differ significantly between the groups who continued and discontinued RTX treatment.
| Characteristics | Continued, n = 433 | Stopped, n = 216 | p | Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs, mean ± SD | 57.354 ± 0.59 | 57.59 ± 0.92 | 0.819 | t test |
| Sex (% female) | 77.3 | 74.6 | 0.485 | Mann-Whitney U |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean ± SD | 12.73 ± 0.51 | 13.79 ± 0.76 | 0.264 | Mann-Whitney U |
| RF positivity (%) | 85.3 | 71.6 | 0.001 | chi-square |
| Anti-CCP positivity (%) | 85.8 | 69.7 | 0.003 | chi-square |
| No. previous anti-TNF, mean ± SD | 1.39 ± 0.042 | 1.73 ± 0.069 | < 0.001 | chi-square |
| DAS28, mean ± SD | 5.76 ± 0.05 | 5.97 ± 0.09 | 0.09 | t test |
TNF: tumor necrosis factor; RF: rheumatoid factor; anti-CCP: anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; DAS28: Disease Activity Score using 28 joint counts.