Table 1.
Characteristics of included patients
| Characteristics | All patients N = 213 |
|---|---|
| Females, n (%) | 143 (67) |
| Age at RA diagnosis, mean ± SD (min‐max), y | 54.8 ± 14.3 (17‐81) |
| Rheumatoid factor positivity, n (%) | 149 (70)a |
| Anti‐CCP positivity, n (%) | 145 (68)b |
| Age at MTX treatment start, mean ± SD (min‐max), y | 55.8 ± 13.8 (18‐81) |
| Duration of MTX treatment (follow‐up) mean ± SD (min‐max), wk | 225 ± 129 (8‐456) |
| MTX maximum weekly dose, mean ± SD (min‐max), mg | 17.35 ± 4.3 (7.5‐25) |
| Folic acid supplement, n (%) | 213 (100) |
| Concomitant treatment at maximum ALT levelc | |
| Sulfasalazine, n (%) | 12 (6) |
| Hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine phosphate, n (%) | 9 (4) |
| TNF inhibitors, n (%) | 33 (16) |
| Prednisolone, n (%) | 113 (53) |
| NSAID, n (%) | 23 (11) |
| Paracetamol, n (%) | 7 (3) |
| Proton pump inhibitor, n (%) | 24 (11) |
| Statin, n (%) | 18 (8) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 62 (29) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 14 (7) |
| Psoriasis, n (%) | 9 (4) |
| Hepatic disease,d n (%) | 4 (2) |
| Cardiac failure, n (%) | 2 (1) |
| Kidney disease, n (%) | 2 (1) |
| Other characteristics | |
| Body mass index, mean ± SD (min‐max), kg/m2 | 26.5 ± 4.7 (17‐43.5) |
| Body mass index > 30, n (%) | 44 (21) |
| Ever smoker, n (%) | 97 (45.5) |
| Alcohol standard glasses/wk, mean ± SD (min‐max) | 2.67 ± 2.78 (0‐14) |
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CCP, cyclic citrullinated peptide; MTX, methotrexate; NSAID, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SD, standard deviation; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.
a
Missing data from one patient
b
Missing data from eight patients
c
Other treatment: fewer than five patients were treated with abatacept, leflunomide, rituximab or tocilizumab
d
Two patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and two patients with chronic hepatitis B infection