Table 3 Five‐year outcome for each group.
| MTX group, n = 86 | SSZ group, n = 273 | p Value | Difference between mean changes, adjusted for baseline | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted for propensity | Adjusted for propensity | ||||
| Continuous variables | Mean (95% CI) | Mean (95% CI) | |||
| SJC: median change (IQR) | −4 (−9, 1) | −6 (−13, −1) | 0.02 | 0.73 (−0.46 to 1.93) | −0.75 (−2.20 to 0.69) |
| TJC: median change (IQR) | −3 (−11, 2) | −6 (−16, −1) | 0.01 | 2.50 (0.24 to 4.75) | −0.00 (−2.75 to 2.75) |
| CRP*: median change (IQR) | −6.5 (−28, 5) | −5 (−21, 3) | 0.7 | 6.08 (−1.50 to 13.66) | 4.02 (−4.50 to 12.54) |
| DAS28*: median change (IQR) | −1.4 (−2.7, −0.1) | −1.4 (−2.3, −0.4) | 0.9 | −0.07 (−0.61 to 0.46) | −0.06 (−0.69 to 0.57) |
| HAQ: median change (IQR) | −0.1 (−0.6, 0.4) | 0 (−0.6, 0.5) | 0.4 | −0.06 (−0.26 to 0.13) | −0.10 (−0.34 to 0.15) |
| Larsen Score: median (IQR) | 8 (0, 28) | 14 (2, 36) | 0.3 | −15 (−44% to 28%) | −31 (−59% to 15%) |
| Categorical variables | OR (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | |||
| Erosive†: number (%) | 24 (59) | 117(63) | 0.6 | 0.8 (0.4 to 1.7) | 0.3 (0.1 to 0.8) |
| Remission: number (%) | 12 (14) | 40 (15) | 0.4 | 1.0 (0.5 to 2.0) | 1.0 (0.4 to 2.4) |
| Still on same treatment at 5 years: number (%) | 29 (34) | 62 (22) | 0.04 | 1.7 (1.0 to 2.9) | 2.2 (1.1 to 4.5) |
| Died: n (%) | 11 (10) | 24 (7) | 0.3 | ||
CRP, C reactive protein; DAS, Disease Activity Score; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; IQR, interquartile range; MTX, methotrexate; SJC, swollen joint count; SSZ, sulfasalazine; TJC, tender joint count.
*38 patients treated with MTX and 171 patients treated with SSZ had CRP at baseline and 5 years.
†41 patients treated with MTX and 186 patients treated with SSZ had x rays.