Table 2

Other drug treatment within the previous 12 months in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; comparison of newly referred patients and patients treated by rheumatologists (1998; values are percentages)

		All patients with RA				Disease duration <2 years
		Newly referred patients (%) (n=1200)^2-151	Patients treated by rheumatologists (%) (n=8583)			Newly referred patients (%) (n=501)^2-152	Patients treated by rheumatologists (%) (n=1206)
Analgetics	4.5	6.8		3.6	6.0
NSAIDs^2-154	51.7^2-150	61.6		42.3^2-150	57.3
Steroids (⩽7.5 mg/day)	16.8^2-150	45.4		10.4^2-150	40.2
Steroids (>7.5 mg/day)	18.7^2-150	12.0		14.4	18.6
Intra-articular steroids	1.9^2-150	10.9		1.2^2-150	7.9
Osteoporosis treatment	5.2^2-150	26.0		2.0^2-150	20.6
Antibiotics	0.4	0.4		0.4	0.2
Any of these drugs	72.2^2-150	92.4		60.3^2-150	90.6

↵2-150 Differences are significant on the 0.001 level.
↵2-151 Without 189 cases who were referred by rheumatologists.
↵2-152 Without 35 cases who were referred by rheumatologists.
↵2-154 NSAIDs = non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.