TABLE 1.
| BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration of RA | <3yrs | 3–5 yrs | >5yrs | p-value |
| Number Patients | 150 | 155 | 584 | |
| Age (years), (SD) | 56 (14.6) | 56 (13.7) | 60 (12.0) | <0.001 |
| White % | 82 | 84 | 84 | NS |
| College Education | 44 | 48 | 43 | NS |
| Female % | 77 | 75 | 77 | NS |
| RF+ ever % | 75 | 76 | 77 | NS |
| Prednisone Dose (mg/day), (SD) [of patients using] |
5.6 (2.9) N=64 |
6.0 (2.9) N=54 |
5.6 (2.9) N=247 |
NS |
| mHAQ (0–3), (SD) | 0.57 (0.5) | 0.47 (0.4) | 0.61 (0.5) | 0.005 |
| SJC (28), (SD) | 6.0 (6.3) | 6.8 (6.3) | 6.5 (6.0) | NS |
| TJC (28), (SD) | 5.8 (6.9) | 5.8 (6.4) | 5.8 (6.2) | NS |
| ESR (mm/hr), (SD) | 23 (18.4) | 25 (19.7) | 28 (22.8) | 0.037 |
| DAS28, (SD) | 3.9 (1.5) | 4.0 (1.3) | 4.3 (1.4) | 0.017 |
| CDAI (0–76), (SD) | 18 (13.9) | 18 (12.6) | 20 (12.9) | NS |
| # DMARDs Ever, (SD) | 1.08 (0.9) | 1.9 (1.5) | 2.55 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| DMARD Frequency Index* (SD) | 0.80 (0.7) | 0.51 (0.4) | 0.19 (0.2) | <0.001 |
| CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP 6–12 MONTHS LATER | ||||
| Duration of RA | <3yrs | 3–5 yrs | >5yrs | p-value |
| Months from Initiation of new DMARD, at baseline (SD) |
9.2 (1.8) | 9.3 (1.7) | 9.3 (1.7) | NS |
| Number Patients | 150 | 155 | 584 | |
| Change in Prednisone Dose (mg/day), (SD) |
−0.7 (2.6) | −0.3 (2.7) | 0.01 (2.8) | 0.016 |
| Discontinued Prednisone (%) | 15 | 5 | 6 | 0.001 |
| mHAQ (0–3), (SD) | −0.13 (0.5) | −0.03 (0.4) | −0.07 (0.4) | NS |
| SJC (28), (SD) | −1.4 (6.6) | −1.8 (5.8) | −1.6 (5.7) | NS |
| TJC (28), (SD) | −1.6 (7.8) | −1.0 (6.6) | −1.4 (6.8) | NS |
| ESR (mm/hr), (SD) | −1.6 (12.3) | −1.1 (16.8) | −2.3 (16.4) | NS |
| DAS28, (SD) | −0.29 (1.4) | −0.39 (1.4) | −0.46 (1.4) | NS |
| CDAI (0–76), (SD) | −4.3 (16.4) | −3.4 (13.6) | −4.6 (13.7) | NS |
| DMARD Added % of Patients | 8.0 | 5.2 | 5.8 | NS |
| DMARD Discontinued % of Patients | 10.7 | 14.2 | 9.8 | NS |
*
DMARD Frequency Index= Number of DMARDs ever used divided by disease duration in years. For 877 observations (12 missing because duration was “0”); mean = 0.35 (SD 0.42), median = 0.2, range = 0–3.33