Baseline clinical characteristics of patients in the intention-to-treat and posthoc analysis. Values are n (%), median (IQR), or mean ± SD.
| Characteristics | Intention-to-treat Analysis | Posthoc Analysis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 (SDAI remission), n = 57 | Group 2 (DAS28 remission), n = 60 | p | Non-SDR, n = 73 | SDR, n = 37 | p | |
| Demographics | ||||||
| Female | 50 (87) | 40 (67) | 0.006 | 55 (75) | 30 (81) | 0.497 |
| Age, yrs | 52 ± 13 | 53 ± 13 | 0.540 | 52 ± 13 | 55 ± 13 | 0.249 |
| Symptom duration, mos | 8 (4–12) | 7 (4–10) | 0.486 | 8 (5–12) | 5 (3–9) | 0.015 |
| Disease activity | ||||||
| Tender joint count | 8 (6–12) | 7 (5–12) | 0.253 | 8 (5–13) | 8 (5–11) | 0.357 |
| Swollen joint count | 5 (3–7) | 5 (3–7) | 0.428 | 5 (2–7) | 4 (3–7) | 0.288 |
| ESR, mm/h | 55 (33–81) | 50 (34–83) | 0.806 | 49 (34–84) | 50 (29–70) | 0.521 |
| CRP, mg/l | 11.3 (4.0–26.9) | 11.5 (5.3–24.4) | 0.616 | 11.5 (5.6–30.7) | 9.9 (3.3–25.6) | 0.242 |
| VAS pain, NRS 0–10 | 6.0 (5.0–7.5) | 6.0 (4.3–8.0) | 0.572 | 6.0 (5.0–7.0) | 6.0 (5.0–8.0) | 0.929 |
| PtGA, NRS 0–10 | 6.0 (5.0–8.0) | 6.0 (5.0–7.3) | 0.787 | 6.0 (5.0–7.0) | 6.0 (5.0–8.0) | 0.658 |
| PGA, NRS 0–10 | 6.5 (4.0–9.0) | 6.0 (4.0–8.0) | 0.318 | 6.0 (4.5–8.0) | 6.0 (4.0–8.0) | 0.422 |
| DAS28 | 4.99 ± 0.98 | 4.86 ± 0.96 | 0.469 | 4.96 ± 1.02 | 4.79 ± 0.91 | 0.411 |
| SDAI | 28.1 (20.13–39.36) | 24.51 (18.57–36.00) | 0.363 | 25.20 (19.90–38.63) | 25.71 (18.60–32.69) | 0.457 |
| HAQ, 0–3 | 1.00 (0.50–1.50) | 1.00 (0.50–1.50) | 0.567 | 1 (0.5–1.5) | 1 (0.63–1.38) | 0.727 |
| Disease severity | ||||||
| No. damaged joint count | 2 (1–4) | 1 (1–3) | 0.053 | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) | 0.753 |
| RF-positive | 45 (78.9) | 51 (85.0) | 0.394 | 63 (86.3) | 27 (73.0) | 0.087 |
| Anti-CCP–positive | 51 (89.5) | 54 (90.0) | 0.925 | 68 (93.2) | 30 (81.1) | 0.055 |
| Erosion on radiograph | 17 (29.8) | 11 (18.3) | 0.145 | 19 (26.0) | 8 (21.6) | 0.612 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | ||||||
| Current smoker | 5 (9.3) | 13 (21.7) | 0.070 | 12 (16.4) | 5 (13.5) | 0.688 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.0 (20.1–24.0) | 22.5 (20.5–24.6) | 0.303 | 22.4 ± 3 | 22.5 ± 3 | 0.785 |
| Waist–hip ratio | 0.86 (0.81–0.91) | 0.89 (0.85–0.93) | 0.030 | 0.87 (0.83–0.92) | 0.88 (0.84–0.93) | 0.709 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 120 ± 18 | 124 ± 18 | 0.187 | 121 ± 17 | 124 ± 19 | 0.332 |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | 77 ± 11 | 78 ± 12 | 0.525 | 78 ± 11 | 78 ± 11 | 0.814 |
| Fasting glucose, mmol/l | 4.8 (4.7–5.2) | 5.1 (4.9–5.6) | 0.005 | 5.0 (4.7–5.3) | 5.0 (4.7–5.6) | 0.588 |
| TC, mmol/l | 4.6 ± 1.0 | 4.7 ± 0.9 | 0.477 | 4.7 ± 0.9 | 4.6 ± 0.9 | 0.521 |
| HDL, mmol/l | 1.4 (1.2–1.6) | 1.3 (1.1–1.5) | 0.231 | 1.3 (1.1–1.5) | 1.4 (1.2–1.8) | 0.114 |
| LDL, mmol/l | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 0.549 | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 2.6 ± 0.7 | 0.154 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l | 0.9 (0.7–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.4) | 0.124 | 0.9 (0.7–1.3) | 0.9 (0.7–1.2) | 0.789 |
| Framingham risk score, % | 4.6 (1.8–8.8) | 6.3 (3.3–15.6) | 0.065 | 5.8 (2.2–11.2) | 4.5 (2.9–10.4) | 0.992 |
| 10-year coronary artery disease risk > 10% | 13 (22.8) | 20 (33.3) | 0.206 | 20 (27.4) | 11 (29.7) | 0.797 |
| Arterial stiffness | ||||||
| PWV, cm/s* | 1395 (1212–1533) | 1472 (1286–1620) | 0.207 | 1418 (1212–1557) | 1481 (1289–1635) | 0.133 |
| AIx (%)^ | 24 (20–30) | 23 (19–26) | 0.457 | 23 (19–29) | 24 (22–29) | 0.540 |
↵* Per-protocol analysis (Group 1 = 54; Group 2 = 56); posthoc analysis (non-SDR: 73, SDR: 37);
↵^ Per-protocol analysis (Group 1: 31, Group 2: 38); posthoc analysis (non-SDR: 44, SDR: 25). Data in bold face are statistically significant. IQR: interquartile range; SDAI: Simplified Disease Activity Index; DAS28: 28-joint count Disease Activity Score; SDR: achieved sustained DAS28 remission; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; VAS: visual analog scale; NRS: numerical rating scale; PtGA: patient’s global assessment; PGA: physician’s global assessment; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; RF: rheumatoid factor; anti-CCP: anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; BMI: body mass index; BP: blood pressure; TC: total cholesterol; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; PWV: pulse wave velocity; AIx: augmentation index.