Patient demographics and clinical characteristics at baseline*
| Conventional DMARDs (n = 145) | 8 mg/kg Tocilizumab (n = 157) | |
|---|---|---|
| *Except where indicated otherwise, values are the mean ± SD. | ||
| †RA functional status determined by American College of Rheumatology criteria. RA stage determined by Steinbrocker’s criteria. | ||
| DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; Tocilizumab, humanised anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; TSS, total Sharp score; MTX, methotrexate. | ||
| Demographics | ||
| Age, years | 53.1±12.5 | 52.9±11.6 |
| Male:female ratio | 26:119 | 32:125 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||
| RA duration, years | 2.4±1.3 | 2.2±1.4 |
| No. of failed DMARDs, mean (range) | 2.8 (1–7) | 2.7 (1–7) |
| Functional Class†, I:II:III:IV | 11:114:20:0 | 12:126:19:0 |
| RA Stage†, I:II:III:IV | 18:57:51:19 | 14:77:46:20 |
| Tender joint count, 0–49 scale | 14.4±7.2 | 15.3±7.3 |
| Swollen joint count, 0–46 scale | 11.9±5.5 | 12.5±6.4 |
| ESR, mm/h | 71.0±25.2 | 70.8±27.9 |
| CRP, mg/L | 49±29 | 47±29 |
| DAS28 | 6.4±0.9 | 6.5±0.8 |
| Radiographic findings | ||
| Modified TSS, 0–448 scale | 30.6±42.0 | 28.3±43.9 |
| Erosion score, 0–280 scale | 13.9±21.7 | 13.8±24.6 |
| Joint space narrowing score, 0–168 scale | 16.7±21.8 | 14.5±20.8 |
| Estimated annual TSS progression | 12.3±16.2 | 14.1±26.9 |
| Treatment classification | ||
| MTX and at least one DMARD, patients (%) | 53 (37) | 43 (27) |
| MTX monotherapy, patients (%) | 44 (30) | 73 (46) |
| DMARDs/immunosuppressants, patients (%) | 32 (22) | 30 (19) |
| MTX dose, mg/week | 7.1±1.9 | 6.9±2.0 |
| Prednisolone equivalent corticosteroid dose, mg/day | 5.4±3.2 | 5.4±3.1 |