Demographic characteristics of 117 patients with SpA.
| SpA Patients, n = 117 | TG, n = 74 | CG, n = 43 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male, n (%) | 54 (73) | 31 (72) | 0.9 |
| Age, yrs, mean ± SD | 50.3 ± 12.5 | 47 ± 9.3 | 0.2 |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean ± SD | 15.2 ± 9.3 | 14.4 ± 7.6 | 0.9 |
| HLA-B27, n (%) | 54/59 (91) | 41/43 (95) | 0.45 |
| Baseline BASDAI, mean ± SD | 5.8 ± 1.6 | 5.8 ± 1.3 | 0.96 |
| Baseline CRP, mg/l, mean ± SD | 14.4 ± 23.7 | 15 ± 15.7 | 0.2 |
| Subtypes of SpA, n (%) | 0.183 | ||
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 51 (70) | 36 (84) | |
| Nonradiographic SpA | 8 (10) | 3 (7) | |
| SpA associated to inflammatory bowel disease | 5 (7) | 3 (7) | |
| Psoriatic SpA | 10 (13) | 1 (2) | |
| Prior biological use, n (%) | 10 (14) | 5 (12) | 0.7 |
| Duration of low disease activity prior to visit 1, yrs, mean ± SD | 1.2 ± 1.1 | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.24 |
| Duration of followup between visit 1 and visit 4, yrs, m ± SD | 2.3 ± 1.1 | 2.4 ± 1 | 0.6 |
| Baseline co-therapy, n (%) | |||
| Methotrexate only (MTX) | 11 (15) | 3 (7) | 0.2 |
| Other DMARD only (OD) | 17 (23) | 6 (14) | 0.2 |
| MTX + OD | 8 (11) | 1 (2) | 0.1 |
| TNFi monotherapy | 38 (51) | 33 (77) | 0.007 |
SpA: spondyloarthritis; TG: tapering group; CG: control group; BASDAI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; CRP: C-reactive protein; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; TNFi: tumor necrosis factor inhibitor.