Table 1.
Baseline demographics and defining clinical characteristics of all patients with AS who continued vs. discontinued index TNFi therapy by the second follow-up visit
| Characteristica | Overall, N = 155 | Continued TNFi, n = 118 | Discontinued TNFi, n = 37 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 47.9 (14.1) | 46.6 (13.8) | 52.1 (14.5) | 0.04 |
| Male, n (%) | 114 (73.5) | 87 (73.7) | 27 (73.0) | 0.93 |
| Race, n (%) | ||||
| White | 140 (94.0) | 108 (94.7) | 32 (91.4) | 0.13 |
| Asian | 3 (2.0) | 3 (2.6) | 0 | |
| Black | 2 (1.3) | 0 | 2 (5.7) | |
| Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mixed race | 3 (2.0) | 2 (1.8) | 1 (2.9) | |
| Other | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.9) | 0 | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 29.4 (6.6) | 28.3 (5.8) | 32.9 (7.8) | < 0.001 |
| BMI (in kg/m2) classification, n (%) | ||||
| Normal/underweight (< 25.0) | 39 (25.8) | 37 (32.5) | 2 (5.4) | < 0.001 |
| Overweight (25.0 to < 30.0) | 51 (33.8) | 38 (33.3) | 13 (35.1) | |
| Obese (≥ 30.0) | 61 (40.4) | 39 (34.2) | 22 (59.5) | |
| Time from symptom onset, years | 18.5 (12.5) | 18.5 (13.0) | 18.4 (11.1) | 0.99 |
| Time from diagnosis, years | 11.9 (11.7) | 12.1 (12.3) | 11.1 (9.9) | 0.67 |
| HLA-B27 | ||||
| Patients with available HLA-B27 test result, n (%) | 108 (69.7) | 81 (68.6) | 27 (73.0) | 0.62 |
| Positive test result (among patients with available test results), n (%) | 80 (74.1) | 60 (74.1) | 20 (74.1) | > 0.99 |
| Family history of SpA, n (%) | 23 (14.8) | 19 (16.1) | 4 (10.8) | 0.43 |
| History of comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Cardiovascular diseaseb | 18 (11.6) | 15 (12.7) | 3 (8.1) | 0.57 |
| Serious infectionc | 11 (7.1) | 8 (6.8) | 3 (8.1) | 0.73 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 11 (7.1) | 9 (7.6) | 2 (5.4) | > 0.99 |
| Any cancerd | 10 (6.5) | 7 (5.9) | 3 (8.1) | 0.70 |
| Psoriasis | 10 (6.5) | 7 (5.9) | 3 (8.1) | 0.64 |
| History of bDMARD use, n (%)e | 140 (90.3) | 108 (91.5) | 32 (86.5) | 0.37 |
| No. prior bDMARDs, n (%)e | ||||
| 0 | 15 (9.7) | 10 (8.5) | 5 (13.5) | 0.66 |
| 1 | 99 (63.9) | 76 (64.4) | 23 (62.2) | |
| ≥ 2 | 41 (26.5) | 32 (27.1) | 9 (24.3) | |
| History of cDMARD use, n (%)f | 55 (35.5) | 39 (33.1) | 16 (43.2) | 0.26 |
| No. prior csDMARDs, n (%)f | ||||
| 0 | 128 (82.6) | 96 (81.4) | 32 (86.5) | 0.37 |
| 1 | 21 (13.5) | 16 (13.6) | 5 (13.5) | |
| ≥ 2 | 6 (3.9) | 6 (5.1) | 0 | |
| Current medication use, n (%) | ||||
| TNFi only | 58 (37.4) | 45 (38.1) | 13 (35.2) | 0.41 |
| TNFi + NSAID | 62 (40.0) | 50 (42.4) | 12 (32.4) | |
| TNFi + csDMARD | 18 (11.6) | 12 (10.2) | 6 (16.2) | |
| TNFi + csDMARD + NSAID | 17 (11.0) | 11 (9.3) | 6 (16.2) | |
aAll values were calculated based on available data and are presented as “mean (SD)” unless otherwise stated. All variables had < 20% missing data except for symptom duration (n = 117)
bCombined histories of myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease, coronary revascularization procedure, ventricular arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, unstable angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack, pulmonary embolism, carotid artery disease, deep vein thrombosis, or other cardiovascular event
cIncludes infections that led to hospitalization or intravenous antibiotics: joint/bursa, cellulitis, sinusitis, diverticulitis, sepsis, pneumonia, bronchitis, gastroenteritis, meningitis, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, or infection of other specified site
dExcludes nonmelanoma of the skin
ePrior bDMARD use may include abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, tocilizumab, and/or ustekinumab
fPrior csDMARD use may include hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide, methotrexate, and/or sulfasalazine
AS ankylosing spondylitis, bDMARD biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, BMI body mass index, csDMARD conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, HLA-B27 human leukocyte antigen B27, NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, SpA spondyloarthritis, TNFi tumor necrosis factor inhibitor