Patient characteristics (n=369) according to therapeutic regimens (n=404). The numbers and values relate to the treatments—that is, a patient may be included more than once
| Etanercept (n=166) | Infliximab (n=135) | Leflunomide (n=103) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | Level of sign | % | Level of sign | |
| *p<0.05 compared with etanercept; **p<0.01 compared with etanercept; ***p<0.001 compared with etanercept; †p<0.05 compared with infliximab; ‡p<0.01 compared with infliximab; §p<0.001 compared with infliximab; ¶treatment without any other DMARD. | |||||
| Female | 78 | 79 | 82 | ||
| Monotherapy¶ | 46 | 14 | *** | 95 | ***§ |
| Severely destroyed (expected HAQ reduction 20%) | 45 | 40 | 80 | **§ | |
| Patients receiving prednisolone | 83 | 81 | 73 | * | |
| Mean | Mean | Mean | |||
| Disease duration (years) | 14.9 | 14.1 | 14.9 | ||
| Age (years) | 54.0 | 55.4 | 61.3 | ***‡ | |
| Number of previous DMARDs | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | ||
| Number of continuing DMARDs | 0.7 | 1.0 | *** | 0.1 | ***§ |
| Prednisolone dosage (mg/week) | 48.8 | 45.7 | 35.8 | *† | |
| DAS28 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.4 | ** | |
| HAQ | 1.55 | 1.47 | 1.46 | ||
| ESR (mm/1st h) | 43.2 | 39.5 | 31.8 | ***† | |
| CRP (mg/l) | 43.7 | 44.4 | 37.7 | ||