Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients who changed their usual medications compared to patients who did not have medication changes during the first three months of the US COVID‐19 pandemic*
| Overall, | Non‐changer, | Changer, | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 734 (100) | n = 513 (69.9) | n = 221 (30.1) | ||
| Demographic characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean ± SD years | 64.7 ± 14.7 | 65.9 ± 10.4 | 61.9 ± 11.7 | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 104 (14.2) | 81 (15.8) | 23 (10.5) | 0.057 |
| White | 677 (93.4) | 474 (93.7) | 203 (92.7) | 0.625 |
| Education, mean ± SD years | 15.3 ± 2.1 | 15.3 ± 2.0 | 15.3 ± 2.2 | 0.917 |
| Married | 487 (68.1) | 348 (68.1) | 139 (68.1) | 0.993 |
| Rural setting | 145 (20.2) | 101 (20.1) | 44 (20.6) | 0.883 |
| Ever smoked | 281 (38.3) | 197 (38.4) | 84 (38.1) | 0.920 |
| Body mass index, mean ± SD kg/m2 | 28.5 ± 7.53 | 28.4 ± 7.54 | 28.6 ± 7.53 | 0.865 |
| Medicare health insurance | 316 (43.1) | 242 (47.2) | 74 (33.5) | 0.001 |
| Economic change† | 125 (17.0) | 75 (14.6) | 50 (22.6) | 0.008 |
| Comorbid conditions | ||||
| RDCI, mean ± SD | 2.4 ± 1.81 | 2.33 ± 1.85 | 2.38 ± 1.73 | 0.769 |
| Heart disease | 55 (7.7) | 37 (7.2) | 18 (8.8) | 0.465 |
| Pulmonary disease | 55 (7.5) | 36 (7.0) | 18 (8.8) | 0.408 |
| Type 2 diabetes mellitus | 45 (6.3) | 34 (6.6) | 11 (5.4) | 0.538 |
| Medications | ||||
| HCQ | 153 (20.8) | 106 (20.7) | 47 (21.3) | 0.853 |
| Other csDMARDs | 427 (58.2) | 318 (62.0) | 109 (49.3) | 0.001 |
| TNFi bDMARDs | 257 (35.0) | 181 (35.3) | 76 (34.4) | 0.816 |
| NTNFI bDMARDs | 199 (27.1) | 137 (26.7) | 62 (28.1) | 0.706 |
| JAK inhibitors | 70 (9.5) | 43 (8.4) | 27 (12.2) | 0.105 |
| Glucocorticoids | 165 (22.5) | 93 (18.1) | 72 (32.6) | <0.001 |
| NSAIDs | 277 (37.7) | 198 (38.6) | 79 (35.8) | 0.465 |
| Number of prior DMARDs, mean ± SD | 4.0 ± 2.1 | 3.9 ± 2.1 | 4.3 ± 2.0 | 0.029 |
| Other medication changes (non‐RA) | 83 (11.3) | 50 (9.8) | 33 (14.9) | 0.042 |
| Patient‐reported outcomes | ||||
| Disease activity‡ | ||||
| Low | 337 (46.1) | 375 (51.1) | 265 (35.8) | <0.001 |
| Moderate | 323 (44.2) | 105 (47.5) | 218 (42.8) | |
| Severe | 68 (9.3) | 37 (16.7) | 31 (6.1) | |
| Unknown | 3 (0.4) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (0.4) | |
| Pain VAS, mean ± SD | 3.15 ± 2.49 | 3.05 ± 2.47 | 3.41 ± 2.53 | 0.087 |
| Patient global VAS, mean ± SD | 3.08 ± 2.31 | 2.92 ± 2.27 | 3.49 ± 2.38 | 0.003 |
| Fatigue VAS, mean ± SD | 3.58 ± 2.81 | 3.34 ± 2.76 | 4.20 ± 2.85 | <0.001 |
| HAQ‐II, mean ± SD | 0.76 ± 0.60 | 0.72 ± 0.59 | 0.85 ± 0.62 | 0.016 |
| PAS‐II, mean ± SD | 2.85 ± 1.94 | 2.73 ± 1.92 | 3.14 ± 1.96 | 0.021 |
| PSD scale, mean ± SD | 7.61 ± 5.67 | 7.21 ± 5.48 | 8.68 ± 6.05 | 0.009 |
Values are the number (%) unless indicated otherwise. bDMARDs = biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs; csDMARDs = conventional synthetic DMARDs; HAQ‐II = Health Assessment Questionnaire II; HCQ = hydroxychloroquine; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; NTNFI = non–tumor necrosis factor inhibitor; PAS‐II = Patient Activity Scale II; PSD = Polysymptomatic Distress; RA = rheumatoid arthritis; RDCI = Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index; VAS = visual analog scale.
Reported an economic impact from COVID‐19 (loss of employment, reduced household income, and/or loss of health insurance).
Self‐reported disease activity at the time of COVID‐19 questionnaire completion.