Patient characteristics
| Demographic variables at baseline | |
|---|---|
| Women (n (%)) | 239 (28) |
| Age (years (median (quartiles))) | 41 (32–50) |
| Disease duration (years (median (quartiles))) | 5 (1–13) |
| Methotrexate use (n (%)) | 343 (41) |
| TNFα inhibitor used (n (%)) | |
| Adalimumab | 247 (29) |
| Etanercept | 150 (18) |
| Infliximab | 445 (53) |
| Year of treatment initiation (n (%)) | |
| 2000 | 3 (0) |
| 2001 | 15 (2) |
| 2002 | 18 (2) |
| 2003 | 48 (6) |
| 2004 | 117 (14) |
| 2005 | 155 (18) |
| 2006 | 150 (18) |
| 2007 | 188 (22) |
| January to November 2008 | 148 (18) |
| Reasons for drug discontinuation (n (%)) | |
| Lack of efficacy | 115 (14) |
| Adverse events or side effects | 69 (8) |
| Planning pregnancy | 11 (1) |
| Disease remission | 8 (1) |
| Lost to follow-up | 8 (1) |
| Other reasons | 27 (3) |
| Not stated | 72 (8) |
| Total | 310 (37) |
Numbers in brackets show quartiles or percentages of total population (n=842).
TNFα, tumour necrosis factor α.