Reasons for stopping excluded methotrexate (MTX), sulfasalazine (SSZ), and leflunomide (LEF) treatments.* (100% = all excluded treatments with the respective regimen) (A) Unmatched data using all available treatments; χ2 test, p=0.02. (B) Matched treatments; χ2 test, p=NS. Results are shown as percentages
| A | MTX (n=274) | SSZ (n=195) | LEF (n=84) | Total (n=553) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inefficiency | 39.1 (n=107) | 43.6 (n=85) | 54.8 (n=46) | 43.0 (n=238) |
| Adverse events | 37.6 (n=103) | 41.5 (n=81) | 27.4 (n=23) | 37.4 (n=207) |
| Lost to follow up | 10.9 (n=30) | 7.2 (n=14) | 13.1 (n=11) | 9.9 (n=55) |
| Other reasons* | 12.4 (n=34) | 7.7 (n=15) | 4.8 (n=4) | 9.6 (n=53) |
| MTX matches | SSZ matches | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | MTX | LEF | SSZ | LEF |
| *Contributions may not exactly add up to 100% owing to rounding errors; †includes non-compliance, concurrent comorbidity, surgery, pregnancy. | ||||
| Inefficiency | 50.0 (n=21) | 54.8 (n=46) | 44.8 (n=30) | 55.7 (n=44) |
| Adverse events | 28.6 (n=12) | 27.4 (n=23) | 31.3 (n=21) | 26.6 (n=21) |
| Lost to follow up | 9.5 (n=4) | 13.1 (n=11) | 11.9 (n=8) | 12.7 (n=10) |
| Other reasons† | 11.9 (n=5) | 4.8 (n=4) | 11.9 (n=8) | 5.1 (n=4) |