Characteristics of randomised patients
| Variable | Infliximab treatment (n=128) | Conventional treatment (n=130) |
|---|---|---|
| Women, n (%) | 97 (76) | 101 (78) |
| Rheumatoid factor positive (%) | 88 (69) | 85 (65) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 51.9 (13.2) | 53.7 (14.0) |
| Symptom duration (months), mean (SD) | 10.1 (3.4) | 10.1 (3.5) |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 4.9 (1.0) | 4.8 (1.0) |
| HAQ*, mean (SD) | 0.9 (0.5) | 1.0 (0.6) |
| EQ-5D utility—UK preference set† | ||
| Mean (SD) | 0.51 (0.29) | 0.55 (0.27) |
| Median (25th–75th) | 0.62 (0.29–0.73) | 0.62 (0.52–0.73) |
| Minimum-maximum | −0.18 to 1.00 | −0.24 to 1.00 |
| EQ-5D utility—US preference set† | ||
| Mean (SD) | 0.65 (0.19) | 0.67 (0.18) |
| Median (25th–75th) | 0.74 (0.53–0.80) | 0.71 (0.60–0.81) |
| Minimum-maximum | 0.20–1.00 | 0.17–1.00 |
| Education, n (%) | ||
| ≤9 years | 19 (15) | 26 (20) |
| 10–12 years | 71 (55) | 63 (48) |
| >12 years | 30 (23) | 30 (23) |
| missing | 8 (6) | 11 (8) |
| Smoking‡, n (%) | 33 (26) | 30 (23) |
| Accumulated resource use (60 days before randomisation) | ||
| Drug cost (€), mean (SD) | 23 (7.9) | 22 (8.4) |
| Healthcare use, mean (SD) | ||
| Non-primary outpatient care visits | 2.9 (2.0) | 2.6 (1.9) |
| Day surgery visits | 0.1 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.0) |
| Inpatient days | 0.4 (2.4) | 0.2 (2.0) |
| Work loss | ||
| Sick leave days, mean (SD) | 8.7 (18.1) | 9.6 (19.5) |
| Disability pension days, mean (SD) | 2.9 (11.1) | 4.8 (15.1) |
| Total days, mean (SD) | 11.6 (20.2) | 14.4 (22.7) |
*Missing HAQ information for four patients in the infliximab treatment group and for two patients in the conventional treatment group.
†Missing EQ-5D information for 21 patients in the infliximab treatment group and for 13 patients in the conventional treatment group.
‡Missing smoking information for five patients in the infliximab treatment group and for four patients in the conventional treatment group.
DAS28, 28-joint count disease-activity score; EQ-5D, EuroQol 5-Dimensions; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; Infliximab treatment, Infliximab plus methotrexate; Conventional treatment, Sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine plus methotrexate.