Baseline characteristics of all patients stratified into moderate and high ASDAS disease activity
| Characteristics | All patients (n=60) | Moderate ASDAS (>1.90 to ≤4.50) (n=41) | High ASDAS (>4.50) (n=15) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLA-B27 positivity (%) | 49 (82) | 32 (73) | 14 (93) | 0.17 |
| Gender (M/F) (%) | 48 (80)/12 (20) | 34 (83)/7 (17) | 11 (73)/4 (27) | 0.46 |
| Age (years) | 40 (21–62) | 40 (21–62) | 40 (27–62) | 0.77 |
| Disease duration (years) | 12 (1–45) | 17 (0–45) | 12 (0–33) | 0.53 |
| TNFα inhibitor (number and % treated with I/E/A) | 41 (68)/13 (22)/6 (10) | 28 (68)/9 (22)/4 (10) | 11 (73)/2 (13)/2 (13) | 0.77 |
| Concomitant MTX (%) | 32 (53) | 20 (49) | 10 (67) | 0.24 |
| ASDAS score | 3.86 (1.98–6.19) | 3.49 (1.98–4.48) | 4.80 (4.55–6.19) | <0.001 |
| BASDAI (0–100) | 55 (30–98) | 46 (30–83) | 79 (51–98) | <0.001 |
| BASFI (0–100) | 48 (10–99) | 45 (10–91) | 71 (28–99) | 0.002 |
| BASMI (0–100) | 30 (0–80) | 30 (0–70) | 40 (10–80) | 0.12 |
| Pain (0–100 mm) | 65 (18–100) | 51 (18–92) | 87 (31–100) | <0.001 |
| Fatigue (0–100 mm) | 68 (8–100) | 63 (8–98) | 75 (47–100) | 0.30 |
| Patient's global (0–100 mm) | 68 (24–100) | 53 (24–99) | 87 (32–100) | <0.001 |
| Physician's global (0–100 mm) | 43 (3–85) | 33 (3–69) | 60 (27–81) | <0.001 |
| Swollen peripheral joints (0–28) (number and % of patients) | 11 (18) | 7 (17) | 4 (27) | 0.46 |
| Tender peripheral joints (0–28) (number and % of patients) | 19 (32) | 12 (29) | 6 (40) | 0.33 |
| MASES (0–13) | 2 (0–13) | 2 (0–13) | 3 (0–11) | 0.12 |
| Serum CRP (mg/l) | 16 (1.60–162) | 11 (1.60–93) | 34 (8–162) | <0.001 |
| Berlin MRI SIJ IS (0–32) | 6 (0–23) | 6 (0–23) | 0 (0–16) | 0.05 |
| Berlin MRI lumbar spine IS (0–15) | 1 (0–9) | 2 (0–9) | 0 (0–3) | 0.002 |
| Berlin MRI total IS (0–47) | 8 (0–28) | 9 (0–28) | 0 (0–16) | 0.004 |
| Berlin MRI SIJ CS (0–8) | 6 (0–8) | 6 (2–8) | 8 (0–8) | 0.32 |
Results are given as median (ranges) unless stated otherwise.
ASDAS could not be calculated in four patients (7%) due to missing data. No patients had low ASDAS disease activity (<1.90).
At each visit patients completed the BASDAI,1 BASFI21 and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire22 and they were examined according to BASMI (three grades),23 MASES24 and 28 swollen and tender joint counts were performed. Serum concentrations of CRP were measured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions (CRP ≤8 mg/l is considered normal).
A, adalimumab; ASDAS, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score; CRP, C-reactive protein; CS, chronicity score; E, etanercept; I, infliximab; IS, inflammation score; BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; BASFI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; BASMI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index; HLA-B27, human leucocyte antigen B27; MASES, Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score; SIJ, sacroiliac joints; TNFα, tumour necrosis factor α.