Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis randomised to treatment with combinations of disease modifying drugs or tumour necrosis factor inhibitors. Figures are means (SD) unless stated otherwise
| Combination disease modifying drugs strategy (n=104) | Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor strategy (n=101) | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographic variables | ||
| Age (years) | 58 (13) | 57 (11) |
| No (%) of women/men | 73/31 (70/30) | 79/22 (78/22) |
| No (%) by ethnic group: | ||
| White | 89 (86) | 92 (91) |
| Black (African, Caribbean, other) | 6 (6) | 2 (2) |
| Other | 9 (9) | 7 (7) |
| Median (IQR) duration of disease (years) | 4.4 (1.6-9.9) | 5.9 (2.2-13.4) |
| Height (m) | 1.64 (0.11) | 1.66 (0.09) |
| Weight (kg) | 78 (20) | 81 (17) |
| Median (IQR) BMI | 29 (24-33) | 29 (25-32) |
| Clinical variables | ||
| Disease activity score for 28 joints | 6.2 (0.9) | 6.3 (0.8) |
| Tender joint count | 16 (7) | 18 (7) |
| Swollen joint count | 11 (6) | 11 (7) |
| ESR (mm in first hour) | 33 (26) | 30 (23) |
| Patient global visual analogue score (mm) | 68 (20) | 68 (21) |
| Health assessment questionnaire score | 1.8 (0.6) | 1.9 (0.7) |
| Larsen score | 45 (42) | 38 (39) |
| EQ5D score | 0.39 (0.31) | 0.35 (0.31) |
| SF-36 physical component summary score | 28 (7) | 27 (7) |
| SF-36 mental component summary score | 43 (12) | 41 (12) |
| Previous disease modifying drug treatments (No of patients) | ||
| Methotrexate | 98 | 97 |
| Sulfasalazine | 68 | 56 |
| Leflunomide | 27 | 29 |
| Other | 48 | 49 |
| Three previous treatments | 33 | 29 |
| Combination drugs at screening | 38 | 39 |
| Prednisolone at screening (mean daily dose) | 16 (4 mg) | 8 (4 mg) |
BMI=body mass index; IQR=interquartile range; ESR=erythrocyte sedimentation rate.