Table 1.
Comparison of baseline characteristics of two cohorts a
| Characteristics | Before | After | P -value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients, n |
702 |
214 |
|
| Observation period (person-years) |
972.9 |
101.4 |
|
| Females, n (%) |
578 (82.3) |
174 (81.3) |
0.851 |
| Age (years) |
58.0 ± 14.3 |
58.9 ± 15.5 |
0.642 |
| RA duration (months) |
112 ± 125 |
92.9 ± 119 |
0.037 |
| DAS28 score (ESR) |
5.83 ± 1.24 |
5.45 ± 1.27 |
0.001 |
| Coexisting pulmonary disease (%) |
37.7 |
65.8 |
0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) |
12.7 |
9.80 |
0.268 |
| Glucocorticoids (%)b |
43.2 |
22.9 |
0.001 |
| Methotrexate (%)c |
78.5 |
87.9 |
0.002 |
| Dose of methotrexate (mg/wk) |
8.96 ± 2.46 |
9.51 ± 2.51 |
0.007 |
| Serum level of IgG (mg/dl) |
1590 ± 522 |
1600 ± 876 |
0.131 |
| Serum level of KL-6 (U/ml) | 271 ± 147 | 250 ± 194 | 0.086 |
aDAS28: Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; IgG: Immunoglobulin G. bThe use of glucocorticoids data are the percentage of patients treated with glucocorticoids. cThe use of methotrexate data are the percentage of patients treated with methotrexate. Compared with the group of 702 patients, the duration of RA was shorter and DAS28 score (ESR), the complication of pulmonary disease, and the use and dose of glucocorticoids were lower in 214 patients. The dose of methotrexate was increased after the adoption of the prophylaxis criterion. Data are mean ± SD by Wilcoxon rank-sum test.