Table 2.
Disease activity and markers of inflammation before and after DMARD or biologic
| Baseline | 6 Months | Absolute Change | P value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAS28-ESR, units | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 4.7 ± 1.3 | 3.4 ± 1.4 | −1.4 ± 1.4 | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 4.6 ± 1.2 | 3.3 ± 1.1 | −1.3 ± 1.2 | <0.001 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 4.8 ± 1.4 | 3.6 ± 1.3 | −1.3 ±1.3 | 0.001 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 4.8 ± 1.4 | 3.3 ± 1.8 | −1.5 ± 1.6 | <0.001 |
| ESR, mm/hr | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 20 [10, 38] | 8.5 [3, 23] | −8 [−17, 0] | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 28 [10, 42] | 19 [11, 40] | −4 [−16, 0] | 0.01 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 18 [11, 30] | 7 [4, 24] | −4 [−14, 1] | 0.03 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 19 [11, 40] | 7 [2, 15] | −11 [−31, −2] | <0.001 |
| Tender joint count, # | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 7 [3, 14] | 3 [1, 9] | −3 [−6, 0] | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 5 [3, 11] | 1 [0, 3] | −2 [−6, 0] | 0.03 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 12 [3, 16] | 6 [1, 10] | −3 [−8, 0] | 0.003 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 7 [5, 15] | 6 [1, 11] | −3 [−7, 1] | 0.006 |
| Swollen joint count, # | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 7 [3, 10] | 2 [1, 5] | −3 [−7, 0] | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 6 [3, 8] | 1 [0, 3] | −3 [−7, −2] | 0.001 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 9 [4, 13] | 3 [1, 5] | −5 [−7, 0] | 0.006 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 6 [2, 10] | 3 [1, 9] | −1 [−5, 1] | 0.11 |
| IL-6, pg/ml | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 3.9 [0.0, 17.3] | 3.1 [0.0, 26.0] | 0.0 [−6.3, 10.8] | 0.47 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 4.8 [0.0, 22.4] | 1.6 [0.0, 6.7] | −0.3 [−7.0, 0.9] | 0.20 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 4.0 [0.0, 23.1] | 0.0 [0.0, 4.8] | 0.0 [−13.5, 0.0] | 0.03 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 3.7 [0.0, 15.2] | 27.5 [1.9, 61.7] | 17.8 [0.0, 43.2] | 0.004 |
| TNF-α, pg/ml | ||||
| All drugs (N=70) | 11.5 [7.4, 17.1] | 10.2 [7.5, 14.7] | −0.7 [−3.7–1.6] | 0.10 |
| Methotrexate (N=23) | 10.4 [7.3–15.3] | 11.5 [7.8, 14.7] | −0.1 [−3.7, 1.7] | 0.66 |
| Adalimumab (N=22) | 11.1 [8.5–17.3] | 9.2 [7.6, 12.4] | −1.6 [−8.7, 0.3] | 0.02 |
| Tocilizumab (N=25) | 12.5 [6.9–18.6] | 13.8 [6.8, 17.7] | 0.3 [−2.1, 2.3] | 0.85 |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation for normally distributed data, and median [interquartile range] for skewed data.
*
Using Wilcoxon signed ranks test. DAS28-ESR = disease activity score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate, IL-6 = interleukin 6, TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor alpha.