Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of people with RA or axSpA and severe functional disability participating in a randomized controlled trial on longstanding exercise therapy
| RA (N = 206) | axSpA (N = 155) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 58.7 (12.9) | 53.2 (11.8) |
| Sex, female, N (%) | 187 (90.8) | 73 (47.1) |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 27.6 (6.1) | 28.8 (6.6) |
| Current medication use, N (%) | ||
| Any DMARD | 139 (67.5) | 101 (65.2) |
| csDMARD | 83 (59.7) | 20 (19.8) |
| bDMARD | 102 (73.4) | 93 (92.1) |
| tsDMARDs | 12 (8.6) | 0 (0) |
| NSAIDs | 90 (43.7) | 79 (51.0) |
| No anti-rheumatic or anti-inflammatory medication | 9 (4.4) | |
| Self-reported symptom duration (years), mean (SD) | 21.6 (13.5) | 24.7 (14.4) |
| Number of comorbidities, N (%) | N = 204 | N = 153 |
| 0 | 7 (3.4) | 7 (4.5) |
| 1–2 | 51 (24.8) | 33 (19.3) |
| 3–4 | 67 (32.5) | 46 (29.7) |
| ≥ 5 | 79 (38.3) | 67 (45.2) |
| Joint replacement surgeries ≥ 1, N (%) | 80 (38.8) | 25 (16.1) N = 154 |
| DAS-28, mean (sd) | 3.1 (1.3) N = 151 | – |
| BASDAI, mean (sd) | – | 5.0 (2.0) N = 94 |
| Education level, N (%) | ||
| Low | 89 (43.2) | 39 (25.2) |
| Medium | 58 (28.2) | 58 (37.4) |
| High | 59 (28.6) | 58 (37.4) |
| Work status, N (%) | ||
| ≤ 66 years old | 147 (71.4) | 135 (87.1) |
| Paid job | 42 (28.6) | 43 (31.9) |
| No job, health problems | 59 (40.1) | 62 (45.9) |
| No job, other reasons | 46 (31.3) | 30 (22.2) |
| PROMIS PF-10 (13.5–61.9), mean (SD) | 33.9 (5.2) | 35.8 (4.5) |
| HAQ-DI (0–3), mean (SD) | 1.7 (0.5) | – |
| BASFI (0–10), mean (SD) | – | 6.1 (1.9) N = 153 |
axSpA axial spondyloarthritis; BASDAI bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index; BASFI Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; bDMARDs biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; BMI body mass index; csDMARDs conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; DAS-28, Disease Activity Score 28; Education level ( Low, primary school or pre-vocational secondary education; Medium, senior general secondary education or pre-university education or secondary vocational education; High, Bachelor or Master at University (of Applied Sciences)); HAQ-DI Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index; NSAIDs nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PROMIS PF-10 patient-reported outcomes measurement information system physical function 10; RA rheumatoid arthritis; tsDMARDs targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs