Baseline characteristics of the patients
| Variable | All patients (n = 188) | Early RA (n = 96) | Late RA (n = 92) | Difference late RA− early RA (p value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early RA, disease duration <2 years; late RA, disease duration ⩾2 years. | ||||
| *Median (interquartile range); difference between patients with early and late RA tested with Mann-Whitney test; †mean (SD); difference between patients with early and late RA tested with independent t test; ‡difference between patients with early and late RA tested with χ2 test; ¶max 7.5 mg prednisone or equivalent. | ||||
| RA duration since onset of symptoms (years)* | 4.5 (1.1–9.1) | 1.2 (0.5–2.7) | 8.5 (5.6–11.9) | <0.0001 |
| RA duration since diagnosis (years)* | 1.8 (0.2–6.7) | 0.2 (0.05–0.7) | 6.9 (4.2–9.6) | <0.0001 |
| Age (years)† | 56.3 (12.5) | 57.3 (12.8) | 55.2 (12.0) | 0.24 |
| DAS28† | 5.7 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.0) | 5.7 (1.2) | 0.51 |
| Serum C reactive protein (mg/l)* | 15 (8–35) | 11 (7–33) | 18 (10–35) | 0.04 |
| Health Assessment Questionnaire score (0 – 3)† | 1.1 (0.7) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.2 (1.1) | 0.04 |
| Positive serum test for rheumatoid arthritis (%)‡ | 67 | 59 | 75 | 0.03 |
| DMARD naïve (%)‡ | 38 | 69 | 7 | <0.0001 |
| Corticosteroids use (%)‡, ¶ | 27 | 24 | 30 | 0.40 |
| Female (%)‡ | 68 | 64 | 72 | 0.30 |
| Chronological damage score (0–448)* | 7.5 (1–33) | 3.0 (0–13) | 21.5 (5–56) | <0.0001 |
| Paired damage score (0–448)* | 9.0 (2–33) | 3.0 (0–12) | 23.5 (6–58) | <0.0001 |