Table 1.
Comparison of baseline characteristics between the etanercept + methotrexate (ETA + MTX) group and the MTX as monotherapy group.
| Clinical characteristics | Total n = 35 |
ETA + MTX n = 22 |
MTX n = 13 |
P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females, n (%) | 32 (91) | 20 (91) | 12 (92) | 0.88 |
| Age, years | 44.9 ± 9.7 | 47.4 ± 8.3 | 40.6 ± 10.8 | 0.04 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.0 ± 3.3 | 24.7 ± 3.4 | 25.5 ± 3.2 | 0.49 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 12 (34) | 7 (32) | 5 (39) | 0.68 |
| Duration of RA, years | 10.8 ± 6.6 | 12.3 ± 6.7 | 8.2 ± 6.0 | 0.08 |
| DAS-28 score | 6.3 ± 0.9 | 6.2 ± 0.8 | 6.5 ± 1.1 | 0.47 |
| HAQ-DI score | 1.45 ± 0.56 | 1.45 ± 0.52 | 1.51 ± 0.64 | 0.78 |
| Morning stiffness, mm (VAS) | 62 ± 20 | 63 ± 19 | 61 ± 23 | 0.85 |
| Severity of pain, mm (VAS) | 67 ± 19 | 66 ± 16 | 69 ± 24 | 0.65 |
| Disease activity, by physician, mm (VAS) | 61 ± 16 | 61 ± 15 | 60 ± 17 | 0.91 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 181.5 ± 40.2 | 187.9 ± 38.1 | 170.6 ± 42.7 | 0.22 |
| High total cholesterol levels, n (%) | 12 (34) | 7 (32) | 5 (38) | 0.73 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 141.8 ± 67.4 | 150.4 ± 75.1 | 127.4 ± 51.5 | 0.34 |
| High triglycerides levels, n (%) | 14 (40) | 9 (41) | 5 (38) | 0.89 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 46.7 ± 13.0 | 48.1 ± 15.6 | 44.3 ± 6.8 | 0.34 |
| Low HDL-C levels, n (%) | 8 (23) | 6 (27) | 2 (15) | 0.68 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 100.7 ± 30.9 | 100.7 ± 25.8 | 100.5 ± 39.2 | 0.99 |
| High LDL-C levels, n (%) | 7 (20) | 3 (14) | 4 (31) | 0.38 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 20 (57) | 13 (59) | 7 (54) | 0.76 |
| TNF-α, pg/mL | 96.91 ± 169.26 | 129.14 ± 207.70 | 42.36 ± 23.46 | 0.08 |
| Rheumatoid factor, U/mL | 421.23 ± 633.92 | 501.59 ± 752.79 | 309.97 ± 422.72 | 0.42 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 29.97 ± 46.31 | 20.08 ± 30.02 | 43.67 ± 61.11 | 0.17 |
HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha; VAS: visual analogue scale; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; DAS-28: disease activity score; HAQ-DI: Health Assessment Quest-Disability Index. Quantitative variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD); qualitative variables are presented in number (%); comparisons between proportions utilized Fisher exact test; comparisons between means were calculated with unpaired Student's t-tests.