Baseline characteristics of 2 complementary Expanded Access Program (EAP) study population subgroups. Baseline characteristics of patients who successfully continued infliximab (IFX) treatment for 10 years are compared with those of the remainder of the cohort. Data are ± SD unless otherwise indicated.
| Characteristics | Patients Taking Infliximab After 10 yrs, n = 110 | Rest of the EAP Cohort, n = 397 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 46.1 ± 2.2 | 46.5 ± 1.5 | 0.885 |
| Sex, % female | 72.4 | 71.7 | 0.879 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 11.5 ± 0.7 | 11.2 ± 0.6 | 0.833 |
| RF positivity, % | 72.7 | 79.4 | 0.241 |
| DAS28 | 5.69 ± 0.11 | 5.97 ± 0.07 | 0.025* |
| ESR, mm/h | 31.4 ± 2.1 | 34.4 ± 1.4 | 0.243 |
| CRP, mg/l | 25.9 ± 2.3 | 30.6 ± 2.0 | 0.182 |
| Tender joints | 18.30 ± 1.02 | 21.30 ± 0.65 | 0.014* |
| Swollen joints | 14.89 ± 1.02 | 15.33 ± 0.46 | 0.596 |
| HAQ | 1.53 ± 0.05 | 1.66 ± 0.03 | 0.03* |
| Patient pain scale, mm | 57.1 ± 1.8 | 63.8 ± 1.1 | 0.02* |
| Patient global VAS, mm | 60.4 ± 1.8 | 65.7 ± 1.1 | 0.011* |
| Patient fatigue, mm | 63.7 ± 2.0 | 66.7 ± 1.2 | 0.193 |
| Physician global VAS, mm | 53.5 ± 1.6 | 62.4 ± 1.0 | < 0.001* |
For normally distributed variables t-test was applied, and for non-normally distributed variables Mann-Whitney U test; chi-square test was used for categorical variables.
↵* Statistically significant values. CRP: C-reactive protein, DAS28: disease activity score using 28 joint counts, ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; VAS: visual analog scale; RF: rheumatoid factor.