Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of anti-TNF-treated patients by year of first treatment start
| Characteristic | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | P for trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 119 | 1206 | 2930 | 3138 | 1553 | 1056 | 782 | 432 | |
| Age, years | 53.2 (13.3) | 53.9 (11.9) | 56.3 (12.1) | 56.7 (12.1) | 56.5 (12.1) | 56.9 (12.9) | 56.2 (12.2) | 57.0 (12.9) | <0.001 |
| Female, n (%) | 92 (77) | 915 (76) | 2242 (77) | 2376 (76) | 1162 (75) | 803 (76) | 594 (76) | 351 (81) | 0.454 |
| Disease duration, years | 15.0 (9.2) | 13.8 (8.8) | 13.9 (9.5) | 13.3 (9.7) | 12.8 (9.8) | 12.5 (10.3) | 12.3 (10.3) | 11.4 (9.0) | <0.001 |
| Disease duration <5 years, n (%) | 11 (9) | 158 (13) | 424 (14) | 591 (19) | 350 (23) | 251 (24) | 207 (26) | 125 (29) | <0.001 |
| Disease duration <2 years, n (%) | 0 | 10 (0.8) | 41 (1) | 122 (4) | 65 (4) | 59 (6) | 48 (6) | 20 (5) | <0.001 |
| Previous number of DMARDsa | 5.0 (1.7) | 4.3 (1.7) | 4.2 (1.7) | 3.9 (1.6) | 3.6 (1.5) | 3.6 (1.4) | 3.5 (1.4) | 3.2 (1.2) | <0.001 |
| Failed only two earlier DMARDsa, n (%) | 7 (6) | 166 (14) | 481 (16) | 698 (22) | 415 (27) | 219 (21) | 183 (23) | 131 (30) | <0.001 |
| On oral corticosteroids at baseline, n (%) | 54 (45) | 648 (54) | 1411 (48) | 1422 (45) | 628 (40) | 387 (37) | 244 (31) | 133 (31) | <0.001 |
| No baseline comorbidityb, n (%) | 46 (41) | 490 (42) | 1111 (39) | 1186 (39) | 610 (41) | 428 (42) | 336 (44) | 151 (36) | 0.491 |
| >1 baseline comorbidityb, n (%) | 26 (22) | 262 (22) | 762 (26) | 779 (25) | 382 (24) | 264 (25) | 160 (20) | 111 (26) | 0.683 |
All values are represented as mean (s.d.) unless otherwise specified. aDoes not include previous corticosteroids. bComorbidity includes one or more of hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accident, epilepsy, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peptic ulcer disease, liver disease, renal disease, history of tuberculosis, demyelinating disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, depression or history of cancer.