Baseline patient characteristics (mean values (SD))
| Completer | MTX withdrawals | GSTM withdrawals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 67 | 23 | 38 |
| Female | 70% | 61% | 71% |
| Rheumatoid factor positive | 55% | 65% | 63% |
| Shared epitope positive (*0101, *0401,*0404, *0408, *1001 or *1402) | 79% | 39% | 50% |
| Taking prednisone (<10 mg/day, %) | 24% | 26% | 26% |
| Prednisone dose (when given, mg/day) | 6.10 (2.02) | 5.51 (2.19) | 5.90 (1.56) |
| Disease duration (months) | 16.5 (16.2) | 16.3 (14.2) | 16.6 (18.3) |
| Swollen joint count (0–38) | 15.2 (6.8) | 17.5 (6.6) | 14.1 (6.6) |
| Tender joint count (0–38) | 16.6 (6.9) | 19.8 (9.1) | 19.3 (6.2) |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation (mm 1st h) | 37.2 (22.7) | 36.5 (22.9) | 38.9 (23.4) |
| C reactive protein (mg/l) | 41.7 (40.1) | 45.8 (39.2) | 45.3 (40.2) |
| Pretreatment radiological progression (increase in Ratingen score/month) | 0.53 (0.31) | 0.29 (0.44) | 0.41 (0.25) |
| Disease activity score | 5.44 (0.75) | 5.59 (0.73) | 5.55 (0.84) |