Comparison of baseline clinical features between patients included and not included in the study. Values are medians (first and third quartiles) unless otherwise indicated.
| Feature | n | Patients Included, n = 123 | n | Patients Not Included, n = 114 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) male/female | 123 | 32 (26)/91 (74) | 114 | 37 (32.5)/77 (67.5) | 0.28a |
| ILAR category, n (%)† | 123 | 114 | 0.15a | ||
| Extended oligoarthritis | 56 (45.5) | 45 (39.5) | |||
| Polyarthritis, 5 rheumatoid factor-positive | 32 (26) | 43 (37.7) | |||
| Systemic arthritis | 35 (28.5) | 26 (22.8) | |||
| Age at disease onset, yrs | 123 | 3.9 (2; 6.6) | 114 | 3.4 (2; 6.5) | 0.58b |
| Disease duration, yrs | 123 | 0.6 (0.2; 1.8) | 114 | 0.5 (0.2; 1.3) | 0.11b |
| Physician’s global assessment* | 78 | 7.5 (5.3; 9.0) | 75 | 8.4 (7.3; 10) | 0.008b |
| Parent’s global assessment* | 63 | 3.3 (1.6; 5.5) | 58 | 3.9 (1.2; 6.0) | 0.55b |
| Parent’s pain assessment* | 49 | 3.4 (2.0; 6.0) | 40 | 3.4 (1.2; 5.5) | 0.72b |
| Swollen joint count | 118 | 4.0 (2.0: 9.0) | 102 | 5.0 (3.0; 9.0) | 0.57b |
| Tender joint count | 118 | 3.5 (1.0; 8.0) | 102 | 5.0 (2.0; 9.0) | 0.09b |
| Restricted joint count | 118 | 4.0 (1.0; 8.0) | 102 | 5.0 (2.0; 8.0) | 0.21b |
| Active joint count | 118 | 5.0 (3.0; 12.0) | 102 | 6.0 (3.0; 11.0) | 0.38b |
| CHAQ disability index** | 86 | 0.6 (0.1; 1.0) | 75 | 0.7 (0.4; 1.2) | 0.10b |
| ESR, mm/h; normal < 20 mm/h | 118 | 45.0 (30.0; 75.0) | 103 | 52.0 (32.0; 71.0) | 0.45b |
| C-reactive protein, mg/dl†† | 74 | 2.6 (0.6; 6.5) | 51 | 2.0 (0.6; 5) | 0.53b |
| Poznanski score, units*** | 64 | –0.8 (–1.5; 0.1) | 43 | –1 (–2; 0.3) | 0.54b |
ILAR: International League of Associations of Rheumatology; CHAQ: Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
↵† For purposes of the analysis, patients with ILAR categories of psoriatic arthritis (n = 6) and undifferentiated arthritis (n = 7) were classified within polyarthritis and extended oligoarthritis categories based on the number of joints affected in the first 6 months of disease.
↵a Chisquare test;
↵b Mann-Whitney U test.
↵* Range 0 (best) to 10 (worst);
↵** range 0 (best) to 3 (worst);
↵†† normal < 0.3 mg/dl;
↵*** abnormal score < –2 units.