Effect of treatment on clinical and biological outcomes at week 24
| SSZ (n = 112) | Placebo (n = 118) | Mean difference (95% CI) | p Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) at baseline | Mean (SD) change at week 24 | Mean (SD) at baseline | Mean (SD) change at week 24 | |||
| BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity Index; BASFI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; CRP, C reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; SSZ, sulfasalazine; WOMAC, Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. | ||||||
| BASDAI score (0–10) | 5.54 (1.59) | −1.76 (0.20) | 5.37 (1.57) | −1.52 (0.21) | −0.24 (−0.82 to 0.33) | 0.407 |
| BASFI score (0–10) | 3.57 (2.42) | −0.46 (0.17) | 3.32 (1.98) | −0.28 (0.19) | −0.18 (−0.67 to 0.31) | 0.474 |
| WOMAC Index, pain | 3.58 (2.78) | −0.48 (0.26) | 3.31 (2.46) | −0.49 (0.23) | 0.01 (−0.62 to 0.64) | 0.974 |
| WOMAC Index, stiffness | 3.86 (3.12) | −0.63 (0.27) | 3.85 (2.93) | −0.71 (0.27) | 0.08 (−0.66 to 0.83) | 0.819 |
| WOMAC Index, physical function | 3.33 (2.70) | −0.45 (0.19) | 3.02 (2.28) | −0.27 (0.17) | −0.18 (−0.68 to 0.31) | 0.464 |
| Schober’s test (cm) | 3.44 (1.13) | 0.19 (0.12) | 3.57 (1.06) | 0.26 (0.13) | −0.06 (−0.40 to 0.28) | 0.717 |
| Chest expansion (cm) | 3.92 (1.67) | 0.07 (0.14) | 3.96 (1.62) | 0.14 (0.15) | −0.07 (−0.49 to 0.34) | 0.751 |
| CRP (mg/dl) in patients with raised CRP >10 mg/dl at baseline | 20.25 (10.91), n = 35 | −3.05 (13.63) | 24.10 (16.35), n = 25 | −7.84 (16.94) | 4.78 (−3.13 to 12.69) | 0.232 |
| ESR (mm at the end of the first hour) in patients with raised ESR>15 mm at the end of the first hour at baseline | 27.48 (12.64), n = 48 | −9.25 (16.80) | 29.40 (16.58), n = 43 | −7.02 (15.53) | −2.23 (−8.99 to 4.54) | 0.515 |