Table 1.
Patient characteristics at inclusion and at follow-up visits
| Characteristic | Inclusion | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 232 | 219 | 208 | 179 |
| Sex, female, n (%) | 169 (70.3) | 155 (70.8) | 146 (70.2) | 127 (70.9) |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 60.5 (14.6) | 60.6 (14.6) | 61.5 (14.9) | 63.7 (14.6) |
| Symptom duration at inclusion, months | 7.0 (5.0–10.0) | 7.0 (5.0–10.0) | 7.0 (5.0–10.0) | 7.0 (5.0–10.0) |
| RF positive at inclusion, n (%) | 143 (61.6) | 135 (61.6) | 125 (60.1) | 115 (64.2) |
| Anti-CCP positive at inclusion, n/N (%) | 116/202 (57.4) | 109/189 (57.7) | 102/180 (56.7) | 91/155 (58.7) |
| Prednisolone, n (%) | 90 (38.8) | 69 (31.5) | 63 (30.3) | 52 (29.1) |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 124 (53.4) | 137 (62.6) | 128 (61.5) | 110 (61.5) |
| Biologic DMARD, n (%) | 0 (0) | 12 (5.5) | 17 (8.2) | 32 (17.9) |
| >1 csDMARD, n (%) | 4 (1.72) | 14 (6.4) | 20 (9.6) | 16 (8.9) |
| No csDMARD, n (%) | 41 (17.7) | 28 (12.8) | 36 (17.3) | 42 (23.5) |
| Body mass index, mean (SD) | 25.4 (4.2)a | NA | 25.9 (4.5)b | NA |
| VAS pain, mean (SD) | 41.2 (26.8) | 30.1 (24.1) | 32.1 (27.0) | 30.3 (23.8) |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 4.6 (1.4) | 3.7 (1.4) | 3.6 (1.4) | 3.6 (1.4) |
| SJC28 | 7.0 (5.0–11.0) | 4.0 (2.0–7.0) | 4.0 (2.0–7.0) | 4.0 (2.0–7.0) |
| TJC28 | 4.0 (1.0–9.0) | 2.0 (0–5.0) | 1.0 (0–4.0) | 1.0 (0–3.0) |
| HAQ | 0.8 (0.4–1.3) | 0 (0–1.0) | 0.5 (0–1.0) | 0.8 (0.1–1.1) |
| CRP (mg/l) | 9.0 (<9–26.8) | <9 (<9–10.0) | <9 (<9–11.0) | <9 (<9–9.3) |
| CRP >9 mg/l, n (%) | 121 (52.2) | 58 (26.5) | 62 (29.8) | 44 (24.7) |
| ESR (mm/h) | 20.5 (10.0–43.0) | 15.0 (8.0–27.0) | 15.0 (8.0–26.3) | 15.0 (9.0–24.0) |
| VAS PGA, mean (SD) | 43.3 (26.7) | 30.6 (23.9) | 33.6 (26.5) | 34.5 (24.7) |
| SHS | 3.0 (0–8.0)c | 6.0 (1.0–16.0)d | 10.0 (3.0–21.0)e | 18.0 (6.0–31.0)f |
| ES | 0 (0–2.0)g | 1.0 (0–4.0)h | 2.0 (0–6.0)i | 5.0 (1.0–10.0)j |
| JSNS | 2.0 (0–6.0)k | 4.0 (0–12.0)l | 6.0 (2.0–15.0)m | 12.0 (3.0–23.0)n |
Values are median (interquartile range) unless otherwise indicated. aData for body mass index in 162 cases. bData in 139 cases. cData for SHS in 217 cases. Range: 0–57. dData in 207 cases. Range: 0–86. eData in 195 cases. Range: 0–108. fData in 171 cases. Range: 0–165. gRange: 0–22. hRange: 0–41. iRange: 0–53. jRange: 0–94. kRange: 0–45. lRange: 0–68. mRange: 0–77. nRange: 0–74. SD standard deviation, RF rheumatoid factor, Anti-CCP anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, DMARD disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, csDMARD conventional synthetic DMARD, NA not available, VAS visual analogue scale, DAS28 Disease Activity Score in 28 joints, SJC28 swollen joint count in 28 joints, TJC28 tender joint count in 28 joints, HAQ Health Assessment Questionnaire, CRP C-reactive protein, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, PGA patient global assessment, SHS Sharp-van der Heijde score, ES erosion score, JSNS joint space narrowing score