Table 1.
Characteristics at baseline of RA patients in this study.
| Total | Without MTX group* | With MTX group** | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD years | 56.2 ± 13.5 | 58.6 ± 10.5 | 54.1 ± 12.6 |
| No. (%) female/No. (%) male | 42 (93)/3 (7) | 15 (94)/1 (6) | 22 (92)/2 (8) |
| Duration of RA mean ± SD years | 12.2 ± 14.1 | 13.5 ± 15.6 | 10.9 ± 11.6 |
| MTX dosage, mean ± mg/week | 5.1 ± 3.8 | 0 | 7.6 ± 2.5 |
| PSL dosage, mean ± SD mg/day | 2.1 ± 2.0 | 1.6 ± 1.5 | 2.4 ± 1.9 |
| Taking DMARDs, No. | |||
| Bucillamine | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sulfasalazine | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| Tacllolimus | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| DAS28 CRP | 3.2 ±1.1 | 2.9 ±1.0 | 3.3 ±1.4 |
*Without MTX group: patients treated with classical DMARDs alone. Patients treated with tacllolimus were excluded. **with MTX group: patients treated with MTX, but not biologics.