Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristics | Whole cohort |
Never remission |
Intermittent remission |
Sustained remission |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 868 | n = 471 | n = 296 | n = 101 | |||||
| Age at onset, years, mean (s.d.) | 55.9 (14.6) | 868 | 56.5 (14.1) | 471 | 55.1 (14.9) | 296 | 56.0 (15.9) | 101 |
| Symptom duration, months, median (IQR) | 6.5 (4.1–11.1) | 868 | 6.7 (4.4–11.6) | 471 | 6.3 (3.9–11.0) | 296 | 5.5 (3.8–10.1) | 101 |
| Female, % | 65.8 | 571/868 | 75.2 | 354/471 | 58.1 | 172/296 | 44.6 | 45/101 |
| Swollen joints, 51 count, median (IQR) | 3 (1–7) | 868 | 5 (2–9) | 471 | 2 (0–5) | 296 | 2 (0–5) | 101 |
| Tender joints, 51 count, median (IQR) | 4 (1–13) | 868 | 8 (3–18) | 471 | 2 (0–8) | 296 | 1 (0–3) | 101 |
| CRP, median (IQR), mg/l | 11.2 (4.9–22.0) | 734 | 11.0 (4.1–23.1) | 401 | 11.8 (6.0–21.7) | 245 | 11.3 (4.4–21.7) | 88 |
| RF-positive, % | 42.5 | 343/807 | 43.1 | 188/436 | 44.8 | 124/277 | 33.0 | 31/94 |
| Anti-CCP–positive, % | 33.5 | 241/720 | 33.9 | 131/386 | 37.0 | 90/243 | 22.0 | 20/91 |
| DAS28, mean (s.d.) | 3.8 (1.3) | 734 | 4.1 (1.3) | 401 | 3.4 (1.2) | 245 | 3.1 (1.1) | 88 |
| HAQ, median (IQR) | 0.9 (0.4–1.5) | 853 | 1.3 (0.6–1.8) | 462 | 0.6 (0.3–1.1) | 292 | 0.5 (0.0–1.0) | 99 |
| Satisfied 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria for RA, % | 59.8 | 519/868 | 69.9 | 329/471 | 51.0 | 151/296 | 38.6 | 39/101 |
| Taking DMARDS, % | 51.4 | 446/868 | 51.0 | 240/471 | 54.4 | 161/296 | 44.6 | 45/101 |
| Time between symptom onset and starting DMARDS, months, median (IQR) | 6.3 (3.9–11.7) | 684 | 6.6 (4.0–12.6) | 384 | 6.2 (3.5–11.0) | 237 | 5.2 (3.0–10.1) | 63 |
| Starting DMARD treatment within 3 months of symptom onset, % | 17.1 | 117/684 | 13.5 | 52/384 | 21.9 | 52/237 | 20.6 | 13/63 |
| Taking oral steroids, % | 24.9 | 216/868 | 25.1 | 118/471 | 24.7 | 73/296 | 24.8 | 25/101 |
| Never smoked, % | 39.8 | 339/852 | 39.6 | 185/467 | 41.1 | 117/285 | 37.0 | 37/100 |
| Current smoker, % | 21.5 | 183/852 | 22.1 | 103/467 | 19.7 | 56/285 | 24.0 | 24/100 |
| Smoked in the past, % | 38.7 | 330/852 | 38.3 | 179/467 | 39.3 | 112/285 | 39.0 | 39/100 |
| Obese (BMI >30 kg/m2), % | 26.3 | 224/853 | 32.3 | 149/462 | 21.2 | 62/292 | 13.1 | 13/99 |
| At least one comorbidity,a % | 67.9 | 589/868 | 73.3 | 345/471 | 64.9 | 192/296 | 51.5 | 52/101 |
| Hypertensive | 39.4 | 342/868 | 43.3 | 204/471 | 37.5 | 111/296 | 26.7 | 27/101 |
| Depressed | 36.2 | 314/868 | 42.5 | 200/471 | 31.8 | 94/296 | 19.8 | 20/101 |
aAt least one of the following comorbidities: angina, hypertension, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, diabetes, stomach ulcer, liver disease, kidney failure, cancer (except skin cancer), psoriasis, depression, glaucoma.