Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristic of patients included in the study.
| Total patients (n = 132) | Infliximab (n = 63) | Etanercept (n = 35) | Adalimumab (n = 34) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 57.28 (12.46) | 59.12 (10.86) | 58.4 (11.99) | 52.57 (14.87) |
| Female/male | 101/31 | 46/17 | 28/7 | 27/7 |
| Disease duration (years) | 8.3 (6.93) | 9.08 (8.11) | 6.15 (4.72) | 9.58 (6.65) |
| Tender joints (68) | 15.96 (9.9) | 18.1 (10.3) | 16.65 (9.7) | 11.03 (7.36) |
| Swollen joints (66) | 9.59 (5.7) | 7.9 (4.88) | 13.17 (7.46) | 9.36 (3.21) |
| Erosions (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| DAS 28 | 5.87 (0.99) | 5.93 (1.08) | 5.95 (1.08) | 5.52 (0.7) |
| HAQ | 1.598 (0.69) | 1.73 (0.57) | 1.74 (0.77) | 1.11 (0.66) |
| Responders (%)* | 66 | 61 | 65 | 76 |
| Previous DMARDs, n of patients (%) | ||||
| Methotrexate | 131 (99.24) | 63 (100) | 34 (97.14) | 34 (100) |
| Hydroxycloroquine | 93 (70.45) | 53 (84.12) | 22 (62.85) | 19 (55.88) |
| Sulfasalazine | 61 (46.21) | 32 (50.79) | 16 (47.71) | 13 (38.23) |
| Ciclosporin A | 48 (36.36) | 29 (46.03) | 12 (34.28) | 7 (20.58) |
| Others | 34 (25.75) | 14 (22.22) | 9 (25.71) | 11 (32.35) |
| DMARDs associated, n of patients (%) | ||||
| Methotrexate | 115 (87.12) | 63 (100) | 29 (82.85) | 23 (67.64) |
| Leflunomide | 2 (1.51) | 0 | 0 | 2 (5.88) |
| None | 15 (11.36) | 0 | 6 (17.14) | 9 (26.47) |
DAS 28, disease activity score including 28 joint counts; DMARD, disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire.
Where applicable, the values are expressed as mean (SD).
*126 patients evaluable for clinical response.