Changes in joint damage within 3 months, for different risk groups based on the baseline joint damage; measured with (chronological) and without (paired) knowledge of the chronological order of the films
| Patient group | Patients with progression ⩾SDC*, based on the chronological change-scores % (No/total No) | Patients with progression ⩾SDC†, based on the paired change-scores % (No/total No) |
|---|---|---|
| Early RA, disease duration <2 years; late RA, disease duration ⩾2 years; SDC, smallest detectable change (see also “Patients and methods” section). | ||
| *SDC chronological 1.7; †SDC paired 2.4. | ||
| Early RA (n = 96) | ||
| Regardless of baseline damage | 18 (17/96) | 9 (9/96) |
| Low baseline damage, score ⩽3 | 2 (1/50) | 0 (0/52) |
| Medium baseline damage, score 4–20 | 22 (7/32) | 13 (4/30) |
| High baseline damage, score ⩾21 | 64 (9/14) | 36 (5/14) |
| Late RA (n = 92) | ||
| Regardless of baseline damage | 36 (33/92) | 17 (16/92) |
| Low baseline damage, score ⩽3 | 6 (1/16) | 6 (1/16) |
| Medium baseline damage, score 4–20 | 25 (7/28) | 11 (3/28) |
| High baseline damage, score ⩾21 | 52 (25/48) | 25 (12/48) |