Table 1.
Cohort demographics and baseline clinical observations
| HC (n = 28) |
eRA (n = 70) |
p-value | MTX + prednisolone (n = 12) |
MTX + anti-TNF (n = 22) |
MTX + CTLA4-Ig (n = 17) |
MTX + Anti-IL-6R (n = 19) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yra | 59.5 (20–75) | 57 (21–80) | 0.98h | 60 (24–80) | 61 (21–71) | 61 (21–77) | 51 (25–72) | 0.43f |
| Female, n (%) | 17 (61) | 49 (70) | 0.48i | 10 (83) | 13 (59) | 12 (71) | 14 (74) | 0.53g |
| Smoker, n (%)e | ND | 11 (16) | 1 (8.3) | 4 (18) | 2 (12) | 4 (21) | 0.84g | |
| Symptom duration, monthsa, b | NA | 5 (1–23) | 4 (1–11) | 5 (1–18) | 6 (2–23) | 6 (1.5–21) | 0.57f | |
| CRP, mg/La | ND | 9 (0.3–180) | 15 (2–152) | 19 (2–180) | 10 (2–92) | 5.4 (0.3–22) | 0.035*f | |
| ESR, mm/hra | ND | 26.5 (5–108) | 29 (5–108) | 32 (7–98) | 28 (8–101) | 19 (5–37) | 0.08f | |
| SJC66a | NA | 11 (3–30) | 18 (4–30) | 12 (3–28) | 8 (3–19) | 12 (3–17) | 0.09f | |
| TJC68a | NA | 14 (2–47) | 18 (6–34) | 15 (2–35) | 13 (3–35) | 12 (3–47) | 0.28f | |
| SJC28a | NA | 8 (2–24) | 13 (4–22) | 8 (3–24) | 6 (3–14) | 9 (2–13) | 0.13f | |
| TJC28a | NA | 9 (0–27) | 10 (3–21) | 8 (1–27) | 9 (0–13) | 8 (0–24) | 0.44f | |
| DAS28-CRPa | NA | 5.0 (2.7–8.3) | 5 (3.6–7.7) | 5.4 (3.2–8.3) | 4.9 (3.8–6.5) | 4.7 (2.7–6.9) | 0.18f | |
| DAS28-ESRa | NA | 5.3 (2.6–8.7) | 5.6 (3.7–8.2) | 5.8 (3.6–8.7) | 5.2 (4.2–7.2) | 5.2 (2.6–7.1) | 0.15f | |
| CDAIa | NA | 27.9 (10.1–68.7) | 32 (13.3–56.9) | 28.1 (10.1–68.7) | 26 (14.3–41.7) | 27.1 (10.5–52.5) | 0.4f | |
| ACPA+, n (%)c | NA | 58 (83) | 10 (83) | 17 (77) | 15 (88) | 16 (84) | 0.9g | |
| RF+, n (%)d | NA | 52 (74) | 10 (83) | 13 (59) | 12 (71) | 17 (90) | 0.14g | |
| ACPA+ RF+, n (%)c, d | NA | 47 (67) | 9 (75) | 13 (59) | 11 (65) | 14 (74) | 0.71g | |
| ACPA− RF−, n (%)c, d | NA | 7 (10) | 1 (8.3) | 5 (23) | 1 (6) | 0 (0) | 0.09g |
aMedian and range
bRetrospective patient-reported pain in joints before RA diagnosis
cPatients with ACPA levels ≥20IU/ml are considered ACPA+
dPatients with RF levels ≥20 IU/ml are considered RF+
eCurrent daily smoker
fDifference between treatment arms, Kruskal-Wallis test *p < 0.05
gDifference between treatment arms, Fisher’s exact test
hDifference between HC and eRA, Mann-Whitney U-test
iDifference between HC and eRA, Chi-Square test
ND: Not Detected; NA: Not Applicable; HC: Healthy Control; eRA: early Rheumatoid Arthritis; CRP: C Reactive Protein; ESR: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate; SJC: Swollen Joint Count; TJC: Tender Joint Count; DAS28: Disease Activity Score for 28 joints; CDAI: Clinical Disease Activity Index; ACPA: Anti-Citrullinated Protein antibodies; RF: Rheumatoid Factor