Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics at trial initiation by trial arm
| Methotrexate initiation (n = 667) | Azathioprine initiation (n = 259) | |
|---|---|---|
| Unique individuals, n | 493 | 231 |
| Trials per unique individual, mean (SD) | 1.4 (0.9) | 1.1 (0.4) |
| Age at trial start, mean (SD) | 54 (13.0) | 53 (13.2) |
| Age at sarcoidosis diagnosis, mean (SD) | 49 (12.4) | 48 (14.0) |
| Female (%) | 45.3 | 42.5 |
| Region of residence (%) | ||
| Stockholm | 25.9 | 14.7 |
| Uppsala‐Örebro | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| West | 12.1 | 30.5 |
| South | 14.7 | 19.7 |
| Southeast | 16.0 | 5.4 |
| North | 12.6 | 7.3 |
| Born in non‐Nordic country † (%) | 6.7 | 10.4 |
| Completed education ‡ (%) | ||
| ≤9 years | 51.0 | 47.9 |
| 10–12 years | 19.6 | 25.5 |
| ≥13 years | 29.4 | 26.6 |
| Married or in registered partnership (%) | 52.2 | 49.8 |
| Calendar period 2006–2009 (%) | 40.0 | 54.1 |
| Years from sarcoidosis diagnosis to trial entry, median (IQR) | 3 (1, 7) | 3 (1, 7) |
| >3 Healthcare visits in the previous 6 months (%) | 45.3 | 52.1 |
| History of morbidity (%) | ||
| Congestive heart disease | 7.2 | 4.2 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Acute myocardial infarction | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Stroke | 2.7 | 4.2 |
| Hypertension | 40.5 | 39.4 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 15.9 | 15.4 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 21.7 | 21.2 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 5.1 | 6.2 |
| Asthma | 8.2 | 6.6 |
| Autoimmune disease | 21.6 | 35.5 |
| Infectious disease within 6 months before trial start § | 7.3 | 10.0 |
| ≥1 Dispensed medication >6 months before trial start (%) | ||
| Methotrexate | 41.4 | 5.8 |
| Azathioprine | 4.5 | 21.6 |
| Medication dispensed within 6 months before trial start | ||
| Defined daily doses of systemic corticosteroids, mean (SD) | 196 (158.7) | 238 (172.2) |
| ≥1 NSAID (%) | 52.0 | 39.4 |
| ≥1 Antimicrobial ¶ (%) | 75.7 | 69.5 |
†
Nordic countries include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
‡
Missing (<1.5% in both groups) included in ‘≤9 years’ category.
§
Defined as one inpatient or outpatient visit in the National Patient Register listing an ICD code for infectious disease as the primary discharge diagnosis.
¶
Antimicrobials include antibiotic, antiviral, antimycobacterial and antifungal medications.
ICD, International Classification of Disease; IQR, interquartile range; NSAID, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug.