Table 1.
Patient characteristics of the TCZ- and TNF-I therapy groups
| TCZ (n=77) | TNF-I (n=59) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 57 [48–67] | 63 [44–72] | 0.1 |
| Sex (male, female) | (18, 59) | (10, 49) | 0.39 |
| Disease duration (years) | 8 [3.8–11.3] | 4 [1.8–10.5] | 0.08 |
| Steinbrocker Stage (I/II/III/IV) | 13, 21, 19, 24 | 11, 20, 10, 18 | 0.69 |
| Disease characteristics | |||
| Positive for RF - no (%) | 67 (87.0%) | 50 (84.8%) | 0.59 |
| Positive for ACPA - no (%) | 66 (85.7%) | 45 (76.3%) | 0.16 |
| Swollen joint count | 4 [2–9] | 4 [1–8] | 0.4 |
| Tender joint count | 4 [1–10] | 4 [2–6] | 0.81 |
| Patients’ global assessment (mm) | 57 [30–73] | 58 [33.5–75] | 0.88 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 19 [6.2–37] | 12.4 [1.5–30] | 0.047 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 58 [27–89] | 36 [15.8–61.5] | <0.01 |
| MMP3 (ng/ml) | 221 [120–421] | 167.2 [102.8–287] | 0.11 |
| DAS28ESR | 5.19 [4.3–6.4] | 4.91 [3.8–5.8] | 0.11 |
| cfDNA (ng/ml) | 29.5 [14.8–44] | 26.3 [19.2–35] | 0.63 |
| Medication | |||
| MTX (mg/week) | 8 [6–10.5] | 10 [8–12] | 0.053 |
| MTX use at the baseline - no (%) | 50 (64.9%) | 46 (77.9%) | 0.12 |
| GC (oral prednisolone mg/day) | 4 [0–5.5] | 2.5 [0–5] | 0.29 |
| GC use at the baseline - no (%) | 50 (64.9%) | 39 (66.1%) | 1 |
| Previous bDMARDs or JAK-I - no (%) | |||
| 0 | 29 (37.7%) | 38 (64.4%) | <0.01 |
| 1 | 37 (48.0%) | 13 (22.0%) | |
| ≥2 | 11 (14.3%) | 8(13.6%) |
Values are presented as the median [interquartile range] or the number of patients (n).
TCZ, tocilizumab; TNF-I, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor; cfDNA, cell-free DNA; GC, glucocorticoid; bDMARDs, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; JAK-I, Janus kinase inhibitor