Table 1.
Summary of patient's characteristics
| Characteristics | Rituximab course | Patients (n = 64) |
|---|---|---|
| Women, n (%) | 53 (82.8) | |
| Age, median (range), years | 59 (38–84) | |
| BSA, median (range), m 2 | 1.8 (1.35–2.29) | |
| Disease duration, median (range), years | 1.4 (0.27–4.6) | |
| Initial DAS28, median (range) | 5.24 (2.1–8.35) | |
| CRP, median (range), mg l –1 | 17 (1–148.6) | |
| Rheumatoid factor positive, n (%) | 44 (68.8) | |
| Anti‐citrullinated protein antibody positive, n (%) | 53 (82.9) | |
| Past anti‐TNF use, n (%) | 51 (79.6) | |
| Corticosteroids, n (%) | 48 (75) | |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 31 (48.4) | |
| Rituximab cycles, n (%) | 1 | 64 (100) |
| 2 | 31 (48.4) | |
| 3 | 21 (32.8) | |
| 4 | 9 (14.1) | |
| 5 | 2 (3.1) | |
| CD19 count, median (range), mm 3 | 1 | 214 (2–706) |
| 2 | 44 (0–478) | |
| 3 | 33 (0–437) | |
| 4 | 126 (2–276) | |
| 5 | 142 (2–282) | |
| Serum IgG concentrations, median (range), g l –1 | 1 | 10.6 (5.0–25.1) |
| 2 | 10.4 (4.6–16.3) | |
| 3 | 9.2 (4.3–18.8) | |
| 4 | 8.9 (6.12–10.4) | |
| 5 | 10.2 (9.9–10.6) | |
BSA, body surface area; DAS28, disease activity score in 28 joints; CRP, C‐reactive protein concentration; IgG: immunoglobulins; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.