Baseline characteristics of the patients recruited into the study in comparison with all Danish patients with RA starting biological therapy registered in DANBIO during the study period. Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise stated.
| Characteristic | Patients Recruited, n = 315 | DANBIO, n = 1163 | p* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women, % | 77 | 73 | 0.56 |
| Age, yrs | 55 (13) | 56 (13) | 0.17 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 10 (9) | 11 (10) | 0.02 |
| IgM rheumatoid factor-positive, % | 78 | 77 | 0.65 |
| DAS28 | 5.0 (1.2) | 4.9 (1.3) | 0.51 |
| HAQ | 1.24 (0.70) | 1.28 (0.81) | 0.39 |
| Concomitant methotrexate, % | 72 | 70 | 0.46 |
| Concomitant glucocorticoids, % | 35 | 37 | 0.38 |
| Biological therapies, % | < 0.001 | ||
| Adalimumab | 25 | 33 | |
| Etanercept | 27 | 33 | |
| Infliximab | 44 | 25 | |
| Other | 4 | 9 |
↵* Chi-square test was used for comparison of proportions and ANOVA for continuous variables. DAS28: Disease Activity Score-28 joints; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire.