Characteristics at study entry and absolute changes in RA activity measures among patients by response to both the ACR20 improvement criterion and the SDAI50 response criterion. Values are mean (SE) unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristics | Neither Response | ACR20 Only | SDAI50 Only | Both Responses | p | Hedges’s g* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 125 | 35 | 8 | 75 | ||
| Age, yrs | 52.6 (1.2) | 49.3 (2.3) | 48.2 (4.8) | 48.0 (1.6) | 0.10 | 0.074 |
| Women, % | 74.4 (3.7) | 82.9 (7.0) | 87.5 (14.5) | 82.7 (4.8) | 0.43 | −0.127 |
| Duration, yrs | 11.8 (0.9) | 8.8 (1.7) | 9.4 (3.5) | 6.1 (1.1) | 0.002 | −0.049 |
| Measures at study entry | ||||||
| TJC, 0–68 | 24.4 (1.4) | 25.0 (2.6) | 28.0 (5.3) | 27.3 (1.7) | 0.56 | −0.189 |
| SJC, 0–66 | 15.2 (0.8) | 15.9 (1.5) | 17.0 (3.2) | 17.4 (1.0) | 0.40 | −0.115 |
| PGA, 0–100 | 46.3 (1.6) | 47.5 (3.0) | 48.4 (6.2) | 52.0 (2.0) | 0.16 | −0.071 |
| PtGA, 0–100 | 54.0 (2.3) | 58.4 (4.3) | 55.3 (9.0) | 56.6 (2.9) | 0.80 | 0.156 |
| Pain, 0–100 | 57.8 (2.2) | 59.3 (4.2) | 58.9 (8.8) | 66.6 (2.9) | 0.11 | 0.017 |
| HAQ, 0–3 | 1.4 (0.1) | 1.4 (0.1) | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.1) | 0.98 | −0.213 |
| ESR | 38.1 (2.5) | 33.0 (4.7) | 41.3 (9.8) | 44.9 (3.2) | 0.17 | −0.297 |
| CRP, mg/l | 15.2 (2.9) | 10.3 (5.5) | 26.5 (11.5) | 28.8 (3.8) | 0.02 | −0.529 |
| Absolute changes during the study† | ||||||
| TJC | 2.5 (1.0) | 12.0 (1.9) | 20.4 (3.9) | 21.7 (1.3) | < 0.0001 | −0.618 |
| SJC | 1.9 (0.7) | 7.2 (1.2) | 8.9 (2.6) | 12.3 (0.8) | < 0.0001 | −0.175 |
| PGA | 10.9 (1.3) | 22.6 (2.5) | 26.5 (5.3) | 38.6 (1.7) | < 0.0001 | −0.223 |
| PtGA | 7.4 (2.1) | 17.9 (3.9) | 14.8 (8.3) | 36.4 (2.7) | < 0.0001 | 0.109 |
| Pain | 8.5 (2.2) | 19.6 (4.2) | 2.6 (8.8) | 45.9 (2.9) | < 0.0001 | 0.554 |
| HAQ | 0.1 (0.1) | 0.4 (0.1) | 0.5 (0.2) | 0.9 (0.1) | < 0.0001 | −0.116 |
| ESR | 6.1 (1.9) | 2.2 (3.6) | 14.0 (7.5) | 18.9 (2.4) | < 0.0001 | −0.375 |
| CRP, mg/l | 3.2 (2.6) | −0.5 (5.0) | 17.6 (10.3) | 21.8 (3.4) | < 0.0001 | −0.656 |
↵* Hedges’s g is a measure of the relative effect size of changes in the ACR20 only group and the SDAI50 only group. Negatively signed values indicate greater changes among ACR20 only responders, while positively signed values indicate greater changes among SDAI50 only responders. Values < −0.5 or > 0.5 were considered clinically meaningful.
↵† Positive values indicate a decrease from baseline (improvement); negative values indicate an increase from baseline (worsening). RA: rheumatoid arthritis; ACR20: American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement; SDAI50: Simplified Disease Activity Index 50% decrease; TJC: tender joint count; SJC: swollen joint count; PGA: physician’s global assessment; PtGA: patient’s global assessment; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein.