Table 6.
Comparison of clinical characteristics between participants and patients who declined participation in the prospective substudy
| Characteristic | Participants (n = 70) | Nonparticipants (n = 70) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study group | .70 | ||
| Discordant | 50 (71) | 51 (73) | |
| Concordant, MHDA | 10 (14) | 7 (10) | |
| Concordant, LDA | 10 (14) | 12 (17) | |
| Age, years | 63 (51–71) | 59 (53–71) | .52 |
| Sex | .56 | ||
| Female | 51 (73) | 54 (77) | |
| Male | 19 (27) | 16 (23) | |
| Highest level of schooling completed | .46 | ||
| Information missing | 5 | 6 | |
| Grade 8 or less | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | |
| Some high school but did not graduate | 4 (6) | 3 (5) | |
| High school graduation or GED | 15 (23) | 23 (36) | |
| Some college or 2-year degree | 25 (38) | 21 (33) | |
| 4-year college degree | 10 (15) | 10 (16) | |
| Postgraduate studies | 11 (17) | 6 (9) | |
| Residence | .32 | ||
| Minnesota | 70 (100) | 69 (99) | |
| Iowa | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | |
| Rochester, Minnesota | 29 (41) | 28 (41) | .92 |
| Provider type | .38 | ||
| Attending physician | 20 (29) | 18 (26) | |
| Fellow | 1 (1) | 4 (6) | |
| NP/PA | 49 (70) | 48 (69) | |
| Comorbidity | |||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.7 (19.5–47.7) | 28.9 (26.2–34.1) | .91 |
| Degenerative joint disease | 41 (59) | 35 (50) | .31 |
| Fibromyalgia | 12 (17) | 5 (7) | .07 |
| Obstructive sleep apnea | 9 (13) | 10 (14) | .81 |
| Depression | 23 (33) | 21 (30) | .72 |
| Anxiety | 6 (9) | 7 (10) | .77 |
| Disease activity assessment | |||
| Tender joint count | 0.5 (0.0–4.0) | 1.0 (0.0–5.0) | .98 |
| Swollen joint count | 0 (0.0–4.0) | 1.0 (0.0–4.0) | .53 |
| HAQ-II disability index, 0–3 | 0.7 (0.3–1.1) | 0.7 (0.0–1.3) | .75 |
| Pain, 100 mm VAS | 54 (23–68) | 52 (25–70) | .87 |
| Patient global assessment, 0–100 | 49 (29–60) | 50 (30–70) | .25 |
| Provider global assessment, 0–100 | 15 (0–80) | 15 (0–100) | .71 |
| DAS28-CRP | 2.8 (2.4–3.5) | 3.6 (2.5–4.6) | .33 |
| CDAI | 9.8 (5.7–17.7) | 11.1 (6.0–17.4) | .69 |
| CDAI Categories | .47 | ||
| Remission | 10 (14) | 6 (9) | |
| LDA | 28 (40) | 26 (37) | |
| MDA | 21 (30) | 29 (41) | |
| HDA | 11 (16) | 9 (13) | |
| Laboratory testing | |||
| Rheumatoid factor positivity | 36 (53) | 52 (76) | .004 |
| Anti-CCP positivity | 33 (53) | 47 (73) | .02 |
| ANA positivity | 18 (31) | 13 (23) | .35 |
| CRP at index visit, mg/L | 2.9 (1.6–46.1) | 5.3 (2.9–11.0) | .003 |
| Abnormal CRP concentration (≥ 8 mg/L) | 11 (19) | 20 (36) | .04 |
| ESR at index visit, mm/h | 9 (3–17) | 10 (3,–21) | .50 |
| Abnormal ESR (i.e., > 22 male and > 29 female) | 6 (11) | 11 (20) | .22 |
| Radiographic erosion present | 24 (35) | 37 (54) | .03 |
| Medication | |||
| Prednisone | 25 (36) | 39 (56) | .02 |
| Methotrexate | 51 (73) | 41 (59) | .08 |
| Nonmethotrexate DMARD | 27 (39) | 25 (36) | .73 |
| TNF inhibitor | 18 (26) | 19 (27) | .85 |
| Any biologic | 21 (30) | 31 (44) | .08 |
| Opioid | 16 (23) | 18 (26) | .31 |
| Tramadol | 7 (10) | 12 (17) | .22 |
| Gabapentin | 9 (13) | 4 (6) | .15 |
| Pregabalin | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | .31 |
| Duloxetine | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | > .99 |
| Fibromyalgia medication | 12 (17) | 6 (9) | .13 |
| NSAID | 26 (37) | 35 (50) | .13 |
| Sleep aid | 11 (16) | 7 (10) | .31 |
| Antidepressant or anxiolytic | 18 (26) | 22 (31) | .45 |
| DMARD modification at index visit? | .10 | ||
| No | 59 (84) | 51 (73) | |
| Yes | 11 (16) | 19 (27) | |
Values are presented as median (interquartile range) or number (percentage) of patients
Significant results are indicated in bold typeface
ANA antinuclear antibodies, anti-CCP anticyclic citrullinated peptide, BMI body mass index, CDAI Clinical Disease Activity Index, CRP C-reactive protein, DAS28-CRP Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using C-reactive protein, DMARD disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, GED general education development, HAQ-II Health Assessment Questionnaire II, HDA high disease activity, LDA low disease activity, MDA moderate disease activity, MHDA moderate-to-high disease activity, NP nurse practitioner, NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, PA physician assistant, TNF tumor necrosis factor, VAS visual analog scale