Population characteristics at baseline
| Variables | Non-adherence | Adherence | p Value | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA− | NA+ | FA | |||
| Values are mean (SD) or median (interquartile range). | |||||
| *Patient’s global assessment of disease activity. | |||||
| †Physician’s global assessment of disease activity. | |||||
| FA, patients with full guideline adherence; MTX, methotrexate; NA−, patients with a net lower methotrexate dose than the guidelines proposed; NA+, patients with a net higher methotrexate dose than the guidelines proposed. | |||||
| n | 102 | 101 | 208 | 411 | |
| MTX + folinic acid | 41 (40%) | 35 (35%) | 65 (31%) | 141 (34%) | |
| MTX + folic acid | 28 (27%) | 31 (31%) | 74 (36%) | 0.53 | 133 (32%) |
| MTX + placebo | 33 (32%) | 35 (35%) | 69 (33%) | 137 (33%) | |
| Female (n) | 62 (61%) | 75 (74%) | 153 (74%) | 0.04 | 290 (71%) |
| RF+ (n) | 85 (88%) | 78 (80%) | 155 (78%) | 0.17 | 318 (77%) |
| Age (years) | 57 (14) | 53 (14) | 58 (11) | 0.07 | 56 (13) |
| Disease duration (months) | 47 (12 to 132) | 27 (12 to 72) | 51 (12 to 130) | 0.04 | 45 (12 to 117) |
| Disease activity score | 4.7 (1.3) | 4.9 (0.9) | 5.0 (1.1) | 0.07 | 4.9 (1.1) |
| Ritchie score | 17 (10 to 26) | 18 (12 to 22) | 19 (12 to 28) | 0.18 | 18 (12 to 26) |
| Swollen joint count | 17 (12 to 22) | 16 (11 to 21) | 17 (12 to 23) | 0.38 | 17 (12 to 22) |
| General health | 47 (21) | 52 (20) | 48 (19) | 0.13 | 49 (20) |
| Pain score | 48 (20) | 54 (19) | 49 (21) | 0.14 | 50 (20) |
| Patient global assessment* | 3 (3 to 4) | 3 (3 to 3) | 3 (3 to 4) | 0.42 | 3 (3 to 4) |
| Physician global assessment† | 3 (3 to 4) | 3 (3 to 4) | 3 (3 to 4) | 0.79 | 3 (3 to 4) |