Baseline patient and treatment characteristics
| Disease characteristics | RTX (n=155) | Alternative anti-TNF agent (n=163) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 58 (47–66) | 56 (44–64) | 0.15 |
| Male sex (%) | 25 | 19 | 0.18 |
| ACPA (%)* | 81 | 74 | 0.30 |
| RF (%) | 92 | 82 | 0.01 |
| Disease duration (years), mean (SEM) | 12 (0.8) | 11 (0.5) | 0.13 |
| Disease activity (DAS28), mean (SEM) | 4.7 (0.14) | 4.2 (0.08) | 0.003 |
| Radiographic erosion score | |||
| Ratingen erosion score (0–190), mean (SEM) | 34.9 (3.2) | 32.5 (2.3) | 0.64 |
| ERO%, mean (SEM) | 18.1 (1.7) | 17.1 (1.2) | 0.64 |
| Health Assessment Questionnaire (0-3), mean (SEM) | 1.27 (0.07) | 1.13 (0.04) | 0.07 |
| Concomitant use of DMARDs (%) | 74 | 79 | 0.30 |
| Methotrexate (%) | 34 | 46 | 0.03 |
| Leflunomide (%) | 14 | 20 | 0.15 |
| Other DMARDs (%)† | 8 | 9 | 0.61 |
| Glucocorticoids (%) | 56 | 48 | 0.16 |
| Previous anti-TNF agents (n) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–1) | <0.001 |
| Mean (SD) | 1.43 (0.6) | 1.01 (0.12) | <0.001 |
| Time since the discontinuation of previous anti-TNF agent (months), median (IQR) | 1 (0.1–4.0) | 1.8 (0.5–13.6) | 0.004 |
Percentages indicate the use of each cotreatment at baseline. Patients could receive more than one DMARD cotreatment, explaining why the sum of individual DMARDs may exceed 100%.
↵* Available for only half of all patients.
↵† Other DMARDs included synthetic DMARDs such as hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine and azathioprine.
ACPA, anti-citrullinated protein antibody; DAS28, Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints; DMARDs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (including oral glucocorticoids); ERO %, Ratingen erosion score expressed in per cent maximum erosion score; RF, rheumatoid factor; RTX, rituximab; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; IQR, interquartile ranges; SEM, standard error of the mean.