Demographics and baseline clinical characteristics of the randomised population
| Control n=53 | Fish oil n=86 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at onset (years; mean±SD) | 55.5±14.1 | 56.1±15.9 |
| Female (%) | 40 (75) | 61 (71) |
| BMI (median, IQR) | 28.3 (25.7–31.6) | 27.1 (22.7–31.3) |
| Duration of polyarthritis (weeks; median, IQR) | 16 (12–70) | 16 (12–24) |
| RF +ve (%) | 30 (56.6) | 47 (54.6) |
| Anti-CCP +ve (%) | 28 (52.8) | 46 (53.5) |
| Shared epitope +ve (%) | 38 (71.7) | 52 (60.5) |
| Never smoked (%) | 24 (45.3) | 30 (34.9) |
| DAS28 (mean±SD) | 5.8±1.2 | 5.7±1.2 |
| mHAQ (mean±SD) | 0.80±0.60 | 0.74±0.52 |
| Oral steroids at baseline* (%) | 3 (5.7) | 7 (8.1) |
| Oral or parenteral steroids at baseline (%) | 10 (18.9) | 19 (22.1) |
*In most cases oral steroids were weaned by 4 weeks after study commencement. One participant remained on 7–15 mg/day oral prednisolone for 8 months, one could not be weaned and withdrew at 7 months, and another reduced from 7.5 to 2 mg/day prednisolone over 6 months and then ceased oral steroid.
mHAQ, modified Health Assessment Questionnaire; CCP, cyclic citrullinated peptide; BMI, body mass index; RF, rheumatoid factor