Table 2.
Biological treatment-naïve patient characteristics of the TCZ- and TNF-I therapy groups
| TCZ (n = 29) |
TNF-I (n=38) |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 62 [53–69] | 64 [49.8–71.3] | 0.46 |
| Sex (male, female) | 6, 23 | 7, 31 | 1 |
| Disease duration (years) | 9 [2–10] | 3 [1–6] | 0.047 |
| Steinbrocker stage (I/II/III/IV) | 5, 4, 8, 12 | 10, 11, 5,12 | 0.24 |
| Disease characteristics | |||
| Positive for RF— no (%) | 26 (90%) | 31 (81.6%) | 0.49 |
| Positive for ACPA—no (%) | 23 (85.2%) | 28 (73.7%) | 0.36 |
| Swollen joint count | 4 [2.5–11] | 4 [2–8.5] | 0.51 |
| Tender joint count | 4 [2–12.5] | 4 [2–6] | 0.29 |
| Patients’ global assessment (mm) | 65 [33.5–73] | 58.5 [31.5–78.5] | 0.91 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 19 [8.5–43] | 14.5 [4.5–33.5] | 0.36 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 56 [36.5–89.5] | 41 [17–69.3] | 0.058 |
| MMP3 (ng/ml) | 221 [148–444] | 174.2 [104.8–282.8] | 0.11 |
| DAS28ESR | 5.81 [4.54–6.57] | 5.07 [4.09–6.05] | 0.11 |
| cfDNA (ng/ml) | 34.5 [22.5–46.5] | 26.4 [20.8–36.7] | 0.18 |
| Medication | |||
| MTX (mg/week) | 6 [0–8] | 10 [8–12] | <0.01 |
| MTX use at the baseline - no (%) | 19 (65.5%) | 29 (86.8%) | 0.045 |
| GC (oral prednisolone mg/day) | 4 [0–7.5] | 2.3 [0–5] | 0.14 |
| GC use at the baseline - no (%) | 20 [68.9%] | 21 [55.2%] | 0.25 |
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.