Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics for randomised and treated patients
| Abatacept+MTX (n=27) | Placebo+MTX (n=23) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 51.7±11.2 | 52.5±11.5 |
| Female, n (%) | 16 (59.3) | 16 (69.6) |
| Caucasian, n (%) | 26 (96.3) | 19 (82.6) |
| Duration of RA (months) | 25.7±18.0 | 28.2±17.0 |
| Tender joints, n | 12.9±7.1 | 13.3±7.2 |
| Swollen joints, n | 11.3±6.6 | 8.5±4.1 |
| Patient global assessment, VAS 100 mm | 50.9±24.7 | 56.6±24.4 |
| Physician global assessment, VAS 100 mm | 51.5±18.7 | 57.4±15.1 |
| Positive RF status, n (%)* | 15 (55.6) | 19 (82.6) |
| Positive anti-CCP2 status, n (%)* | 13 (48.1) | 17 (73.9) |
| DAS28 (CRP) | 5.3±1.1 | 5.3±0.9 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 13.6±17.4 | 16.6±16.8 |
| CDAI | 34.4±15.3 | 33.2±10.3 |
| SDAI (CRP) | 35.8±16.1 | 34.9±10.8 |
| Concomitant medications at baseline, n (%) | ||
| MTX | 23 (100) | 27 (100) |
| MTX dose, mean±SD mg/week | 16.9±4.6 | 17.3±4.2 |
| Oral and/or injectable corticosteroids | 19 (70.4) | 14 (60.9) |
| Low dose oral corticosteroids | 16 (59.3) | 12 (52.2) |
| Oral dose of corticosteroids, mean±SD | 3.9±3.51 | 3.0±3.72 |
| NSAIDs | 22 (81.5) | 20 (87.0) |
Values are means±SD unless stated otherwise.
*Per the inclusion criteria, if patients were not RF or anti-CCP2 positive, they had to have radiographic evidence of erosion.
CCP, cyclic citrullinated protein; CDAI, Clinical Disease Activity Index; CRP, C reactive protein; DAS28, Disease Activity Score 28; MTX, methotrexate; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; SDAI, Simplified Disease Activity Index; VAS, visual analogue scale.