Table 4.
Medication Changes from Treatment Initiation to 12-Month Visit in Patients Who Continued the Initial TNF Inhibitor for ≥6 Months
| Change in treatment parameter | Patients with inadequate response at 6 months and at 12 months | Patients with inadequate response at 6 months who responded by 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| csDMARD initiation between TNF inhibitor initiation and 12-month visit, N (%)a | N = 315 33 (10.5) |
N = 173 16 (9.2) |
| TNF inhibitor dose increase between initiation and 12-month visit, N (%)b | N = 315 8 (2.5) |
N = 173 5 (2.9) |
| csDMARD dose increased between TNF inhibitor initiation and 12-month visit, N (%)c | N = 315 34 (10.8) |
N = 173 19 (11.0) |
| Change in steroid dose, N (%)c | N = 58 21 (36.2) |
N = 35 5 (14.3) |
| Change in steroid dose and/or starting steroids between TNF inhibitor initiation and 12-month visit, N (%)c | N = 58 38 (65.5) |
N = 35 12 (34.3) |
a
Switch of initial csDMARD, addition of a second csDMARD, or initiation of a csDMARD in case of TNF inhibitor monotherapy.
b
For example, increase of dose frequency for infliximab and/or adalimumab.
c
Number of patients with steroid dose information at TNF inhibitor initiation and at the 12-month visit.
csDMARD indicates conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.