Baseline characteristics
| Placebo group | Glucocorticoid group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | N | Value | N | Value |
| Gender, female, n (%) | 132 | 91 (69) | 133 | 91 (68) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 132 | 56 (15) | 133 | 55 (15) |
| Symptom duration (weeks), mean (SD) | 128 | 8.0 (2.3) | 132 | 7.7 (2.6) |
| ESR (mm/h), median (IQ0.25-0.75) | 129 | 30 (14–48) | 130 | 27 (15–47) |
| Total number of swollen joints,* median (IQ0.25–0.75) | 131 | 8 (4–12) | 132 | 8 (4.5–12) |
| Total number of tender joints,* median (IQ0.25–0.75) | 131 | 9 (5–15) | 132 | 9 (5–14) |
| DAS28(3), mean (SD) | 128 | 5.3 (1.2) | 129 | 5.3 (1.2) |
| VAS pain (mm), mean (SD) | 126 | 54 (24) | 129 | 55 (25) |
| VAS fatigue (mm), mean (SD) | 126 | 53 (28) | 129 | 53 (26) |
| VAS physician (mm), mean (SD) | 132 | 49 (19) | 131 | 47 (20) |
| Early morning stiffness (min), median (IQ0.25–0.75) | 90 | 60 (15–120) | 84 | 60 (30–120) |
| Radiological damage, yes, n (%) | 102 | 12 (12) | 103 | 12 (11.7) |
| Rheumatoid factor, positive, n (%) | 127 | 44 (35) | 130 | 40 (31) |
| HAQ score, mean (SD) | 126 | 1.21 (0.63) | 129 | 1.17 (0.79) |
| EQ-5D utility score, median (IQ0.25–0.75) | 121 | 0.59 (0.12–0.69) | 127 | 0.62 (0.19–0.69) |
| SF-36 PCS score, mean (SD) | 123 | 39 (6) | 122 | 39 (7) |
| SF-36 MCS score, mean (SD) | 123 | 44 (7) | 122 | 45 (7) |
N, number of patients with data.
↵* Number of swollen or tender joints (0–28 maximum).
DAS28(3), three-component 28 joint Disease Activity Score (maximum score = 10); EQ-5D, EuroQol-5D dimension utility score (range 1 to −0.59 = worst health); ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Score (range 0–3 = worst functional ability); MCS, SF-36 mental component summary score; PCS, SF-36 physical component summary score (higher scores indicate better health); VAS, visual analogue scale (range 0–100 mm, worst score).