Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis classified according to the use of Chinese herbal products.
| Variable | Rheumatoid Arthritis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepted CHP | |||||
| Non-CHP group (n = 4148) |
CHP group (n = 4148) |
Standardized mean difference* | |||
| n | % | n | % | ||
| Gender | |||||
| Female | 3591 | 86.57 | 3591 | 86.57 | 0.000 |
| Male | 557 | 13.43 | 557 | 13.43 | 0.000 |
| Age group | |||||
| 18–39 | 1157 | 27.89 | 1157 | 27.89 | 0.000 |
| 40–59 | 2468 | 59.5 | 2468 | 59.5 | 0.000 |
| ≥60 | 523 | 12.61 | 523 | 12.61 | 0.000 |
| Mean ± SD (years) | 46.67(11.59) | 46.60(11.59) | 0.006 | ||
| Baseline Comorbidity | |||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 340 | 8.2 | 288 | 6.94 | 0.047 |
| Hypertension | 810 | 19.53 | 706 | 17.02 | 0.065 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 447 | 10.78 | 469 | 11.31 | 0.017 |
| COPD | 540 | 13.02 | 682 | 16.44 | 0.097 |
| ESRD | 49 | 1.18 | 29 | 0.7 | 0.050 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 8 | 0.19 | 6 | 0.14 | 0.012 |
| Drug used | |||||
| NSAID | 4118 | 99.28 | 4136 | 99.71 | 0.061 |
| Corticosteroid | 163 | 3.93 | 203 | 4.89 | 0.047 |
| DMARD | 3906 | 94.17 | 4058 | 97.83 | 0.19 |
| TNF-antagonist | 625 | 15.07 | 1001 | 24.13 | 0.23 |
| Mean (median) of the follow-up period (years) | 4.81 (4.30) | 5.37 (4.94) | 0.108 | ||
| Duration between rheumatoid arthritis date and index, days (mean, median) | 942(616) | 931(605) | 0.012 | ||
*A value of standardized mean difference ≤0.1 indicates a negligible difference between the two groups.
CHP, Chinese herbal products; SD, standard deviation; COPD, chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; ESRD, end stage renal disease; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.