Patient characteristics.
| Characteristics | Fatigue: None to Mild, VAS Score < 57, n = 520 | Fatigue: Moderate to Severe, VAS Score ≥ 57, n = 542 | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | n | ||||
| Female, n (%) | 253 (48.7) | 520 | 358 (66.1) | 542 | < 0.001 |
| Age, yrs | 53.0 (44.0–62.0) | 520 | 52.0 (42.8–60.0) | 542 | 0.070 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 6.0 (3.0–11.5) | 449 | 5.0 (2.0–10.0) | 456 | 0.022 |
| Previous use of DMARD, n (%): | 520 | 542 | 0.046 | ||
| None | 449 (86.3) | 443 (81.7) | |||
| 1 | 44 (8.5) | 50 (9.2) | |||
| 2 | 26 (5.0) | 49 (9.0) | |||
| 3+ | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) | |||
| Use of MTX, n (%) | 316 (60.8) | 520 | 313 (57.7) | 542 | 0.319 |
| Concomitant corticosteroid, n (%) | 6 (1.2) | 520 | 29 (5.4) | 542 | < 0.001 |
| Biological treatment, status, n (%) | 520 | 542 | < 0.001 | ||
| Never treated with biologicals | 272 (52.3) | 279 (51.5) | |||
| In current treatment | 224 (43.1) | 195 (36.0) | |||
| Previous use | 24 (4.6) | 68 (12.5) | |||
| SJC, 0–28* | 0.47 ± 1.3 | 455 | 0.94 ± 2.2 | 459 | < 0.001 |
| TJC, 0–28* | 1.73 ± 3.6 | 456 | 5.0 ± 6.4 | 469 | < 0.001 |
| CRP, mg/l | 3.0 (1.0–6.0) | 421 | 4.0 (2.0–7.0) | 464 | 0.008 |
| Patient pain assessment, 0–100 mm VAS | 25.0 (15.0–38.0) | 520 | 66.0 (49.0–78.0) | 542 | < 0.001 |
| PtGA, 0–100 mm VAS | 27.0 (15.0–43.0) | 520 | 75.5 (61.0–86.0) | 542 | < 0.001 |
| PGA, 0–100 mm VAS | 7.0 (3.0–15.0) | 432 | 14.0 (7.0–14.0) | 438 | < 0.001 |
| PDQ score | 9.0 (6.0–14.0) | 520 | 17.0 (13.0–23.0) | 542 | < 0.001 |
| DAS28-CRP | 2.3 (1.8–2.9) | 400 | 3.5 (2.6–4.4) | 418 | < 0.001 |
| HAQ score, 0–3 | 0.4 (0.1–0.8) | 507 | 1.1 (0.8–1.6) | 530 | < 0.001 |
Unless otherwise stated, data were given as median with interquartile range.
↵* SJC and TJC given as mean ± SD. VAS: visual analog scale; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; MTX: methotrexate; PDQ: Pain Detect Questionnaire; CRP: C-reactive protein; DAS28-CRP: 28-joint count Disease Activity Score using CRP; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; SJC: swollen joint count; TJC: tender joint count; PtGA: patient’s global assessment; PGA: physician’s global assessment.