Table 1.
Patients’ characteristics at baseline per treatment group a
| MTX-TSU | COBRA Slim | |
|---|---|---|
| n = 47 | n = 43 | |
| Age (yr) | 51.02 ± 14.00 | 51.42 ± 14.42 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.98 ± 4.22 | 25.40 ± 4.27 |
| Female sex | 80.9% | 76.7% |
| Smoking status (ever) | 38.3% | 48.2% |
| Alcohol intake (yes) | 61.7% | 55.8% |
| Symptom duration (wk) | 33.11 ± 62.21 | 34.42 ± 68.16 |
| Disease duration (wk) | 3.17 ± 6.62 | 1.86 ± 2.70 |
| Employed before onset (yes) | 66.0% | 55.8% |
| Currently employed (yes) | 57.4% | 51.2% |
| Comorbidities present (yes) | 66.0% | 60.5% |
| Nocturnal pain (yes) | 72.3% | 48.8% |
| Morning stiffness (yes) | 68.1% | 53.5% |
| RF (yes) | 23.4% | 25.6% |
| Anti-CCP (yes) | 23.4% | 27.9% |
| Erosions (yes) | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| Total TJC | 14.06 ± 8.61 | 13.14 ± 10.70 |
| Total SJC | 10.00 ± 6.98 | 10.93 ± 7.55 |
| TJC28 | 9.49 ± 7.46 | 8.51 ± 7.80 |
| SJC28 | 6.89 ± 6.11 | 7.79 ± 6.03 |
| PGA (range: 0 to 100) | 49.89 ± 22.99 | 48.60 ± 30.68 |
| Pain (range: 0 to 100) | 52.09 ± 23.23 | 48.23 ± 31.19 |
| Fatigue (range: 0 to 100) | 45.91 ± 22.07 | 39.40 ± 27.66 |
| PhGA (range: 0 to 100) | 48.34 ± 23.37 | 48.63 ± 20.80 |
| ESR (mm/hr) | 23.04 ± 16.90 | 30.00 ± 29.40 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 13.53 ± 18.62 | 20.14 ± 39.25 |
| DAS28(ESR) | 4.83 ± 1.68 | 4.88 ± 1.64 |
| DAS28(CRP) | 4.55 ± 1.63 | 4.50 ± 1.63 |
| HAQ (range: 0 to 3) | 0.99 ± 0.67 | 0.92 ± 0.85 |
aAlcohol intake, Consumption of any form of alcohol; Anti-CCP, Anti–citrullinated protein antibodies; BMI, Body mass index; COBRA Slim, COmbinatie therapie bij Reumatoïde Artritis; CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; Disease duration, Time elapsed between diagnosis of RA and start of treatment; ESR, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; Morning stiffness, Being stiff in the morning for at least 45 minutes; MTX-TSU, Methotrexate with tight step-up, 15 mg of MTX weekly, no oral steroids allowed; PGA, Patient global assessment; PhGA, Physician global assessment; RF, Rheumatoid factor; SJC, Swollen joint count; Symptom duration, Time elapsed between onset of symptoms and start of treatment; TJC, Tender joint count. Values reported are proportions or mean ± standard deviation.