Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and change in patient characteristics at start of first anti-TNF recorded in the BSRBR-RA over-time
| Variable | Whole cohort (2001–2013) | 2001-2008 subgroup | 2010-2013 subgroup | P-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 14 436 | 13 115 | 1321 | NA |
| Female, % | 76.3 | 76.3 | 75.7 | 0.6 |
| Age, (s.d.), years | 56.0 (12.3) | 56.0 (12.2) | 56.3 (12.7) | 0.4 |
| DAS28-ESR, range 0–10 (s.d.) | 6.5 (1.0) | 6.6 (1.0) | 6.0 (1.0) | <0.01 |
| Swollen joint count, range 0–28 (s.d.) | 11.1 (6.2) | 11.4 (6.2) | 8.7 (5.2) | <0.01 |
| Tender joint count, range 0–28 (s.d.) | 15.5 (7.4) | 15.6 (7.4) | 14.6 (7.5) | <0.01 |
| Patient global assessment, range 0–100 mm (s.d.) | 72.5 (19.8) | 72.5 (19.8) | 72.2 (19.5) | 0.6 |
| ESR, (s.d.), mm/h | 44.7(28.2) | 46.0 (28.3) | 29.6 (22.8) | <0.01 |
| HAQ, range 0–3 (s.d.) | 2.0 (0.6) | 2.0 (0.6) | 1.6 (0.7) | <0.01 |
| BMI, (s.d.), kg/m2 | 27.2 (8.1) | 27.0 (6.8) | 29.6 (17.1) | <0.01 |
| Disease duration, mean, median (s.d.), years | 12.7, 11.0 (9.6) | 13.0, 11.0 (9.6) | 9.6, 6.0 (9.5) | <0.01 |
| Time from first rheumatology consult to biologics, mean, median (s.d.), years | 12.0, 10.0 (9.0) | 12.2, 10.0 (8.9) | 9.5, 6.0 (9.0) | <0.01 |
| Baseline MTX, n (%) | 8176 (56.6) | 7332 (55.9) | 844 (63.9) | <0.01 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 3108 (21.8) | 2861 (22.0) | 247 (19.9) | 0.03a |
| Ever smoked, n (%) | 5368 (37.7) | 4922 (37.8) | 446 (36.0) | |
| Never smoked, n (%) | 5778 (40.5) | 5232 (40.2) | 546 (44.1) |
Unless otherwise specified, numbers shown are mean values. aComparing subgroups using unpaired t test, except gender and smoking data, which used χ2. BSRBR-RA: British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for RA; NA: not applicable.