Characteristics of patients at start of third cycle (second retreatment) who were re-treated on flare or at a fixed interval. No. patients with available information is shown in square brackets. Values are mean ± SD unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristics | On Flare, n = 174 | Fixed Interval, n = 56 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mos from RTX start, median (IQR) | 18.5 (14.3–24.5) [174] | 13 (10.5–15.5) [56] | < 0.0001 |
| Age, yrs | 50.3 ± 12.3 [174] | 51.3 ± 10.8 [56] | 0.60 |
| Female, % | 86 [174] | 91 [56] | 0.34 |
| Disease duration, yrs, median (IQR) | 10 (5–16) [173] | 9.8 (4–16) [56] | 0.66 |
| RF+, % | 82 [147] | 88 [50] | 0.35 |
| Anti-CCP+, % | 82 [56] | 63 [30] | 0.05 |
| No. previous csDMARD | 2.4 ± 1.3 [169] | 2.8 ± 1.5 [55] | 0.07 |
| No. previous bDMARD | 0.7 ± 0.7 [167] | 0.7 ± 0.9 [55] | 0.78 |
| DAS28 at RTX start | 6.2 ± 1.1 [163] | 6.3 ± 1.1 [53] | 0.73 |
| Baseline DAS28 | 5.2 ± 1.3 [168] | 4.0 ± 1.3 [53] | < 0.0001 |
| DAS28 improvement from RTX start | −0.7 ± 2.0 [163] | −2.1 ± 1.4 [53] | < 0.0001 |
| Baseline HAQ | 1.6 ± 0.7 [141] | 1.4 ± 0.7 [26] | 0.14 |
| Concomitant csDMARD | 54 [174] | 54 [54] | 0.95 |
| Concomitant corticosteroids | 81 [174] | 86 [56] | 0.38 |
| RTX dose at baseline, 1000 mg × 2, % | 94 [172] | 96 [55] | 0.44 |
RTX: rituximab; RTX start: first visit of first RTX treatment; baseline: first visit of each RTX retreatment; IQR: interquartile range; RF: rheumatoid factor; anti-CCP: anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; csDMARD: conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; bDMARD: biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; DAS28: Disease Activity Score at 28 joints; HAQ: Heath Assessment Questionnaire.