Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the two cohorts
| Total cohort |
Patients included in work analyses |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTX-starters |
Biologic-starters |
MTX-starters |
Biologic-starters |
|||||
| Variable | N (%) | Median (IQR) | N (%) | Median (IQR) | N (%) | Median (IQR) | N (%) | Median (IQR) |
| Age at baseline, years | 1065 | 52 (44, 59) | 1247 | 54 (47, 59) | 463 | 52 (45, 57) | 260 | 52 (45.5, 57) |
| Female (% of total cohort) | 742 (69.7) | 970 (77.9) | 315 (68.0) | 201 (77.3) | ||||
| Symptom duration, months | 1065 | 7 (4, 12) | 1233 | 60 (24, 120) | 463 | 7 (4, 12) | 256 | 48 (24, 102) |
| Smoking status | ||||||||
| Never | 407 (38.5) | 452 (36.6) | 190 (41.1) | 102 (39.2) | ||||
| Former | 374 (35.4) | 504 (40.8) | 175 (37.9) | 113 (43.5) | ||||
| Current | 276 (26.1) | 280 (22.7) | 97 (21.0) | 45 (17.3) | ||||
| SJC (28 joints) | 1020 | 4 (2, 9) | 1190 | 8 (5, 11) | 448 | 4 (1, 8) | 250 | 8 (5, 12) |
| Tender joint count (28 joints) | 1019 | 6 (2, 13) | 1190 | 15 (10, 21) | 449 | 5 (2, 11) | 249 | 14 (9, 20) |
| CRP (mg/l) | 1056 | 5 (2, 14) | 1027 | 9 (4, 22) | 461 | 5 (2, 12) | 227 | 8 (4, 17) |
| DAS28-CRP | 1000 | 4.3 (3.2, 5.2) | 995 | 5.8 (5.2, 6.3) | 442 | 4.0 (3.1, 4.9) | 219 | 5.6 (5.2, 6.2) |
| HAQ | 957 | 1.00 (0.38, 1.50) | 944 | 1.63 (1.13, 2.13) | 461 | 0.88 (0.38, 1.38) | 258 | 1.38 (0.88, 1.75) |
| RF status | ||||||||
| Total measured | 818 | 1058 | 384 | 224 | ||||
| Positive | 553 (67.6) | 691 (65.3) | 277 (72.1) | 154 (68.8) | ||||
| Pain-VAS | 946 | 51 (28, 72) | 929 | 70 (54, 81) | 459 | 48 (25, 68) | 256 | 67 (49, 78) |
| Fatigue-VAS | 945 | 57 (29, 76) | 927 | 76 (60, 88) | 458 | 53 (25, 73) | 256 | 72 (52, 85) |
| Patient global VAS | 1056 | 43 (22, 64) | 1177 | 80 (65, 90) | 459 | 35 (20, 60) | 244 | 78 (65, 86) |
| HADS Depression | 953 | 6 (2, 9) | 920 | 7.5 (5, 11) | 461 | 5 (2, 8) | 256 | 6 (3, 9) |
| HADS Anxiety | 952 | 6.5 (4, 10) | 914 | 8 (5, 12) | 460 | 6 (3, 9) | 256 | 8 (5, 11) |
| EQ-5D | 935 | 0.66 (0.52, 0.76) | 911 | 0.52 (-0.02, 0.66) | 453 | 0.69 (0.52, 0.76) | 254 | 0.59 (0.19, 0.69) |
| Comorbidity | ||||||||
| No comorbidity | 501 (47.0) | 418 (39.9) | 236 (51.0) | 128 (53.3) | ||||
| One comorbid condition | 355 (33.3) | 369 (35.2) | 155 (33.5) | 77 (32.1) | ||||
| ≥2 comorbid conditions | 209 (19.6) | 261 (24.9) | 72 (15.6) | 35 (14.6) | ||||
DAS28-CRP: DAS28 using CRP; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales; IQR: interquartile range; N: number; VAS: visual analogue scale.