Table 1.
Clinical and demographic characteristics of RA patients prior to influenza vaccination
| MTX group (n=65) | TCZ+MTX group (n=49) | TCZ group (n=62) | RA control (n=18) | p Values between treatment groups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female | 11/54 | 5/44 | 11/51 | 3/15 | NS |
| Age, years, mean (95% CI) | 67 (65.0 to 68.9) | 62.9 (59.8 to 65.9) | 65.2 (61.6 to 68.8) | 67.3 (62.3 to 72.4) | NS |
| Prior influenza vaccination, number of patients (%) | 47 (72.3) | 36 (73.5) | 50 (80.6) | 12 (66.7) | NS |
| RA duration, years, mean (95% CI) | 9.8 (7.7 to 11.9) | 7.5 (5.8 to 9.2) | 14.6 (11.5 to 17.7) | 11.1 (4.8 to 17.4) | 0.029 (M vs T) |
| 0.001 (T/M vs T) | |||||
| MTX dose, mg/week, median (25th, 75th percentiles) | 8 (6, 8) | 8 (6, 8) | – | – | NS |
| MTX duration, months, median (25th, 75th percentiles) | 58 (17, 78) | 54 (29, 89) | – | – | NS |
| TCZ duration, weeks, median (25th, 75th percentiles) | – | 68 (24, 104) | 64 (21, 107) | – | NS |
| Use of prednisolone, number of patients (%) | 13 (20) | 12 (24.5) | 22 (35.5) | 1 (5.6) | 0.016 (T vs C) |
| Prednisolone dose, mg/day, mean (95% CI) | 0.87 (0.4 to 1.34) | 0.90 (0.33 to 1.47) | 1.02 (0.54 to 1.49) | – | NS |
| Positive RF, number of patients (%) | 38 (58.5) | 42 (85.7) | 46 (74.2) | 7 (38.9) | 0.002 (M vs T/M) |
| 0.0001 (T/M vs C) | |||||
| 0.005 (T vs C) | |||||
| Positive anti-CCP Abs, number of patients (%) | 46 (70.8) | 43 (87.8) | 56 (90.3) | 6 (33.3) | 0.030 (M vs T/M) |
| 0.006 (M vs T) | |||||
| 0.004 (M vs C) | |||||
| <0.0001 (T/M vs C) | |||||
| <0.0001 (T vs C) | |||||
| CDAI (25th, 75th percentiles) | 5.3 (3.7–7.8) | 6.2 (4.5–7.8) | 9.5 (7.9–11.1) | 8.2 (4.8–11.5) | 0.001 (M vs T) |
| 0.027 (T/M vs T) | |||||
| Lymphocytes, /μl, mean (95% CI) | 1368 (1237 to 1500) | 1395 (1255 to 1535) | 1622 (1500 to 1744) | 1478 (1098 to 1857) | 0.038 (M vs T) |
Data were obtained immediately before influenza vaccination. Prior influenza vaccination represents that administered last season (2010/2011). p Values between treatment groups were determined by the Mann–Whitney U test, post hoc ANOVA using Tukey's HSD test, the χ2 test or Fisher's exact probability test.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; anti-CCP Abs, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; C, RA control group; CDAI, clinical disease activity index; HSD, honestly significant difference; M, MTX group; MTX, methotrexate; NS, not significant; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; T, TCZ group; T/M, TCZ+MTX group; TCZ, tocilizumab.