Demographic indicators and baseline disease characteristics
| Enrolled patients (N=114) | RRR-achieved (N=56) | RRR-failed (N=46) | p (probability >χ2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 87 (76%) | 42 (75%) | 38 (83%) | 0.4691 |
| Age (years) | 51.4 (20.0–73.0) | 49.5±12.6 | 56.1±12.2 | 0.0053 |
| Disease duration (years) | 5.9 (0.1–38.0) | 4.8±5.9 | 7.8±7.7 | 0.0238 |
| Tender joint count (0–28) | 8.2±6.7 | 8.6±7.0 | 7.5±5.8 | 0.5798 |
| Swollen joint count (0–28) | 9.0±7.2 | 10.1±7.7 | 7.6±5.8 | 0.1674 |
| PaGA (0–100 mm, VAS) | 50.0±23.0 | 50.0±24.2 | 49.3±23.1 | 0.9520 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 2.5±3.0 | 2.6±2.6 | 2.7±3.7 | 0.5531 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 46.2±26.9 | 43.1±24.2 | 54.1±30.1 | 0.1555 |
| DAS28 (ESR) score | 5.5±1.2 | 5.5±1.4 | 5.6±1.1 | 0.9112 |
| DAS28 (CRP) score | 4.9±1.2 | 5.1±1.3 | 4.8±1.3 | 0.5486 |
| HAQ-DI | 1.0±0.7 | 0.9±0.6 | 1.2±0.7 | 0.1112 |
| mTSS* | 63.3 (1.0–314.0) | 46.9±46.5 | 97.2±86.9 | 0.0207 |
| RF (U/ml) | 201.9±496.5 (68.5%) | 225.7±583.3 | 197.9±427.8 | 0.5190 |
| MTX (mg/week) | 7.7±2.3 | 7.9±1.9 | 7.8±2.8 | 0.3232 |
| PSL (mg/day) | 2.5±3.4 (45.6%) | 2.4±3.5 | 2.8±3.5 | 0.5223 |
Data are number of patients (%) for categorical data and the means for continuous data. Statistical difference was assessed by non-parametric Wilcoxon t test and p (probability >χ2) values are shown. Values in italic indicate a significant difference (p<0.05).
↵* Data supplied for 33 patients who achieved RRR and 16 patients for whom RRR failed.
CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28, Disease Activity Score, including a 28-joint count; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ-DI, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index; mTSS, modified total Sharp score; MTX, methotrexate; PaGA, patient global assessment of disease activity; PSL, prednisolone; RF, rheumatoid factor; RRR, remission induction by Remicade in rheumatoid arthritis; VAS, visual analogue scale.