Patient characteristics
| RA pulse (n=14) | RA control (n=7) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean disease duration in years (range) | 14 (2–39) | 12 (4–33) |
| Mean age in years (range) | 58.6 (41–76) | 65 (54–73) |
| Male/female | 4/10 | 3/4 |
| ACR functional class 1/2/3 | 0/12/0 | 2/4/1 |
| Mean (SD) ESR (mm 1st h) | 70 (28) | 38 (38) |
| Mean (SD) CRP (mg/l) | 61 (30) | 22 (20) |
| DMARD medication | ||
| methotrexate | 7 | 3 |
| parenteral gold | 2 | |
| OH-chloroquine | 1 | |
| sulphasalazine | 1 | 2 |
| azathioprine | 1 | 1 |
| no DMARD | 3 | 1 |
Characteristics of 14 RA patients with active disease (before receiving dexamethasone pulse therapy) and seven randomly selected RA patients (RA control) with less active disease and not considered for dexamethasone pulse therapy.