Variables at 24 Weeks | Overall, n = 110 | MTX–, n = 56 | MTX+, n = 54 | p† |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age, yrs | 66.1 ± 12.1 | 68.3 ± 9.9 | 63.9 ± 13.8 | 0.059 |
Female, % | 82.7 | 80.4 | 85.2 | 0.503 |
Disease duration, yrs | 12.2 ± 11.0 | 13.3 ± 10.9 | 11.1 ± 11.1 | 0.289 |
Stage, I/II/III/IV, % | 4.5/12.7/40.0/42.7 | 3.6/10.7/39.3/46.4 | 5.6/14.8/40.7/38.9 | 0.806 |
Class, I/II/III/IV, % | 4.5/34.5/56.4/4.5 | 1.8/26.8/64.3/7.1 | 7.4/42.6/48.1/1.9 | 0.076 |
RF-positive, % | 83.3 | 86.0 | 80.0 | 0.476 |
Pulmonary comorbidity, % | 13.6 | 23.2 | 3.7 | 0.003 |
MTX use, % | 49.1 | 0.0 | 100.0 | — |
MTX dose, mg/weeka | 7.3 ± 2.6 | — | 7.3 ± 2.6 | — |
Oral steroid use, % | 47.7 | 52.7 | 42.6 | 0.290 |
Oral steroid dose, mg/daya | 3.4 ± 1.9 | 3.7 ± 2.3 | 3.0 ± 1.3 | 0.201 |
Previous biological DMARD, % | 55.5 | 53.6 | 57.4 | 0.686 |
No. previous biological DMARD | 1.6 ± 0.9 | 1.5 ± 0.9 | 1.8 ± 0.9 | 0.244 |
DAS28-CRP | 3.88 ± 0.92 | 3.90 ± 0.84 | 3.86 ± 0.99 | 0.828 |
TJC, 0–28 | 5.7 ± 6.0 | 6.0 ± 6.4 | 5.4 ± 5.6 | 0.596 |
SJC, 0–28 | 2.6 ± 3.5 | 2.4 ± 3.8 | 2.8 ± 3.3 | 0.559 |
PtGA, 0–100 mm | 45.6 ± 23.9 | 46.1 ± 22.9 | 45.1 ± 25.0 | 0.820 |
CRP, mg/dl | 1.2 ± 1.6 | 1.2 ± 1.3 | 1.2 ± 1.8 | 0.967 |
PGA, 0–100 mm | 34.1 ± 17.9 | 32.2 ± 13.7 | 35.8 ± 21.1 | 0.318 |
ESR, mm/h | 44.3 ± 26.6 | 45.4 ± 27.1 | 43.1 ± 26.3 | 0.651 |
MMP-3, ng/ml | 145.8 ± 142.6 | 159.1 ± 158.5 | 131.4 ± 123.2 | 0.344 |
mHAQ | 0.90 ± 0.78 | 0.83 ± 0.73 | 0.99 ± 0.85 | 0.362 |
Significant data are in bold face.
↵a Mean among patients receiving the drug.
↵† Comparison between the patient group with and without concomitant MTX. LDA: low disease activity; MTX: methotrexate; Stage: Steinbrocker stages; Class: Steinbrocker classes; RF: rheumatoid factor; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; DAS28: 28-joint Disease Activity Score; CRP: C-reactive protein; TJC: tender joint count; SJC: swollen joint count; PtGA: patient’s global assessment; PGA: physician’s global assessment; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; MMP-3: matrix metalloproteinase 3; mHAQ: modified Health Assessment Questionnaire.