Table 5

Current non-disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment in outpatients with RA in rheumatological care with respect to disease severity (1998; values are percentages)

	Mild (n=2797)	Moderate (n=4059)	Severe (n=1637)	Total (n=8493)
Analgetics	4.6	6.6	11.7^5-150	6.9
NSAIDs^5-151	51.8^5-150	61.4	67.0^5-150	59.3
Steroids (⩽7.5 mg/day)	31.3^5-150	51.0	56.8^5-150	45.6
Steroids (>7.5 mg/day)	3.8^5-150	9.7	21.2^5-150	10.0
Intra-articular steroids	2.2^5-150	7.7	12.2^5-150	6.8
Drugs against osteoporosis	15.6^5-150	29.9	46.7^5-150	28.4
Any of these treatments	81.0^5-150	95.6	98.0^5-150	91.3

↵5-150 Differences from “moderate” are significant at the 0.001 level.
↵5-151 NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.