Table 1.
Baseline characteristics at time of switching for patients with DAS28 scores*
| Characteristics | Switched to RTX | Switched to anti-TNF | P† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients, no. | 387 | 941 | – |
| Age, mean ± SD years | 58.7 ± 11.2 | 55.6 ± 12.3 | < 0.0001 |
| Female sex, no. (%) | 300 (77.5) | 757 (80.5) | 0.23 |
| Disease duration, mean ± SD years | 14.7 ± 10.2 | 14.0 ± 9.5 | 0.25 |
| RF positive, no. (%) | 242 (64.9) | 604 (64.2) | 0.06 |
| Comorbidities, no. (%)‡ | 259 (66.9) | 546 (58.0) | 0.003 |
| TJC, mean ± SD no. | 14.4 ± 8.1 | 12.5 ± 8.3 | < 0.001 |
| SJC, mean ± SD no. | 8.7 ± 5.8 | 8.2 ± 6.1 | 0.17 |
| ESR, mean ± SD mm/hour | 45.0 ± 30.5 | 43.0 ± 28.5 | 0.30 |
| CRP level, mean ± SD mg/dl | 33.6 ± 35.0 | 39.7 ± 46.0 | 0.11 |
| Global health VAS score, mean ± SD | 68.5 ± 20.8 | 63.6 ± 25.1 | < 0.001 |
| DAS28, mean ± SD | 6.2 ± 1.2 | 5.9 ± 1.4 | < 0.001 |
| Reason for stopping first anti-TNF | 0.001 | ||
| Inefficacy, no. (%) | 190 (49.1) | 547 (58.1) | |
| Adverse events, no. (%) | 96 (24.8) | 257 (27.3) | |
| Other/missing, no. (%) | 101 (26.1) | 137 (14.6) | |
| First anti-TNF therapy | |||
| Etanercept, no. (%) | 159 (41.1) | 266 (28.3) | < 0.001 |
| Monoclonal antibody, no. (%) | 228 (58.9) | 675 (71.7) | |
| Therapy switched to, no. (%) | |||
| Etanercept | – | 494 (52.5) | |
| Infliximab | – | 102 (11.0) | |
| Adalimumab | – | 344 (36.5) |
*
DAS28 = Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; RTX = rituximab; anti-TNF = anti–tumor necrosis factor; RF = rheumatoid factor; TJC = tender joint count; SJC = swollen joint count; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP = C-reactive protein; VAS = visual analog scale.
†
Test of significance between patients switched to RTX or a second alternative anti-TNF therapy.
‡
Comorbidities included one or more of angina, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, epilepsy, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peptic ulcer, liver disease, renal disorder, demyelination, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, depression, or history of tuberculosis and cancer.