Baseline characteristics of the patients
| Concomitant DMARD group | Age (years) | Female (%) | RF+ (%) | Disease duration (years) | Prior DMARDs (n) | Glucocorticoid use (%) | DAS28 | HAQ DI, 0−3 | TJC, 0−28 | SJC, 0−28 | CRP (mg/l) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM, antimalarials; AZA, azathioprine; CRP, C-reactive protein; CsA, ciclosporin; DAS28, Disease Activity Score 28; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; HAQ DI, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index; LEF, leflunomide; MTX, methotrexate; RF+, rheumatoid factor positive; SJC, swollen joint count; SSZ, sulfasalazine; TJC, tender joint count. | |||||||||||
| Data are mean (SD) unless otherwise noted. | |||||||||||
| *Of these 84 patients, 51% were receiving AZA, 27% were receiving parenteral gold, 17% were receiving CsA, and 5% were receiving penicillamine. | |||||||||||
| All patients (n = 6610) | 54 (13) | 81 | 73 | 11 (9) | 3.0 (1.8) | 71 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.64 (0.68) | 14 (7) | 10 (6) | 26 (31) |
| Number of concomitant DMARDs | |||||||||||
| No DMARDs (n = 1731) | 55 (13) | 82 | 72 | 12 (9) | 3.1 (2.1) | 70 | 6.2 (1.1) | 1.73 (0.68) | 14 (7) | 11 (6) | 29 (35) |
| ⩾1 DMARD (n = 4879) | 53 (13) | 80 | 73 | 10 (8) | 2.9 (1.7) | 72 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.60 (0.68) | 13 (7) | 10 (6) | 25 (29) |
| 1 DMARD (n = 4004) | 53 (13) | 81 | 73 | 10 (8) | 2.8 (1.7) | 71 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.61 (0.68) | 13 (7) | 10 (6) | 24 (28) |
| 2 DMARDs (n = 769) | 53 (13) | 75 | 74 | 9 (7) | 3.3 (1.5) | 75 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.55 (0.69) | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 27 (32) |
| ⩾3 DMARDs (n = 106) | 52 (12) | 76 | 76 | 10 (9) | 3.8 (1.2) | 67 | 5.9 (1.1) | 1.68 (0.65) | 13 (7) | 12 (7) | 32 (43) |
| One exclusive concomitant DMARD | |||||||||||
| MTX only (n = 2794) | 53 (13) | 82 | 73 | 10 (8) | 2.7 (1.7) | 70 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.61 (0.68) | 13 (7) | 10 (6) | 23 (27) |
| LEF only (n = 842) | 54 (12) | 82 | 75 | 11 (9) | 3.3 (1.7) | 73 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.58 (0.68) | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 24 (28) |
| SSZ only (n = 133) | 56 (13) | 81 | 69 | 11 (8) | 3.1 (1.8) | 63 | 6.1 (1.1) | 1.70 (0.71) | 14 (8) | 11 (6) | 30 (32) |
| AM only (n = 148) | 56 (12) | 83 | 74 | 8 (7) | 2.8 (1.8) | 78 | 6.2 (1.0) | 1.62 (0.69) | 15 (7) | 10 (6) | 28 (30) |
| 1 other DMARD* (n = 84) | 55 (13) | 79 | 68 | 13 (9) | 4.1 (2.1) | 81 | 6.3 (1.0) | 1.87 (0.69) | 14 (7) | 11 (5) | 30 (33) |
| DMARD combinations | |||||||||||
| MTX+LEF (n = 180) | 53 (13) | 79 | 72 | 10 (8) | 3.5 (1.6) | 81 | 6.1 (1.0) | 1.55 (0.64) | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 27 (35) |
| MTX+AM (n = 269) | 52 (13) | 75 | 76 | 8 (7) | 2.9 (1.4) | 74 | 6.0 (1.1) | 1.52 (0.7) | 14 (7) | 10 (6) | 23 (27) |
| MTX+SSZ (n = 182) | 52 (13) | 70 | 72 | 9 (8) | 3.0 (1.3) | 69 | 5.9 (1.1) | 1.57 (0.7) | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 28 (33) |
| MTX+SSZ+AM (n = 76) | 53 (12) | 78 | 71 | 9 (8) | 3.7 (1.2) | 66 | 5.9 (1.2) | 1.69 (0.66) | 13 (8) | 12 (7) | 37 (46) |