Patient description of demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics
| All patients (n = 257) | RA (n = 119) | SpA (n = 43) | UA (n = 95) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Values are mean (SD) or n (%). | ||||
| *Significant values for comparisons between groups in bold. | ||||
| †A complete set of radiographs was only available for 188 patients (100 RA, 26 SpA, 62 UA). | ||||
| DMARD, disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; SJC, swollen joint count; SpA, spondylarthropathy; TJC, total joint count; UA, undifferentiated arthritis. | ||||
| Age (years) | 43 (13) | 46 (13)* | 37 (11) | 41 (13) |
| Female | 167 (65%) | 77 (65%) | 27 (63%) | 63 (65%) |
| White | 218 (85%) | 98 (82%) | 43 (100%)* | 77 (81%) |
| Symptom duration (weeks) | 33 (31) | 32 (23) | 31 (36) | 35 (37) |
| TJC | 12 (12) | 20 (12)* | 5 (10) | 5 (5) |
| SJC | 8 (9) | 14 (9)* | 2 (2) | 2 (3) |
| ESR (mm/h) | 39 (30) | 44 (30)* | 40 (30) | 33 (30) |
| C reactive protein (mg/dl) | 1.8 (2.3) | 2.0 (2.2)* | 2.0 (3.2)* | 1.4 (1.9) |
| RF >20 | 95 (37%) | 78 (66%)* | 2 (5%) | 15 (16%) |
| Shared epitope | 115 (45%) | 67 (56%)* | 18 (42%) | 30 (32%) |
| Radiographic erosions† | 57 (30%)† | 44 (44%)†* | 3 (12%)† | 10 (16%)† |
| Prednisone at 1 year | 52 (20%) | 41 (34%)* | 3 (34%) | 8 (16%) |
| Prednisone initially | 61 (23%) | 40 (34%) | 11 (25%) | 9 (10%) |
| DMARD at 1 year | 100 (39%) | 71 (60%)* | 10 (23%) | 19 (20%) |
| DMARD initially | 60 (23%) | 41 (34%)* | 8 (19%) | 11 (12%) |