Baseline characteristics according to medication exposure period
| TNF antagonist* (N=4684) | Methotrexate† (N=4969) | Non-methotrexate non-biological DMARDs (N=1785) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No of unique patients‡ | 4361 | 4016 | 1406 |
| Demographics | |||
| Female gender | 3598 (76.9) | 3687 (17.1) | 1343 (75.3) |
| Age (years, mean (±SD)) | 56.3±15.1 | 59.09±14.6 | 58.6±14.3 |
| Race (white) | 4244 (90.6) | 4555 (91.7) | 1662 (93.1) |
| Educational level (college) | 2314 (52.8) | 2128 (45.7) | 821 (48.7) |
| BMI, mean (±SD) | 28.1±9.0 | 28.0±9.1 | 27.5±8.6 |
| RA-related variables | |||
| Duration of RA, median (years (IQR)) | 8 (13) | 6 (12) | 6 (12) |
| Rheumatoid factor positive | 2319 (74.0) | 2456 (70.9) | 900 (71.8) |
| Radiographic erosions | 1387 (57.4) | 1288 (48.7) | 399 (43.3) |
| Rheumatoid nodules | 1115 (23.8) | 915 (18.4) | 349 (19.5) |
| DAS28 | 3.7 (1.8) | 3.7 (1.7) | 3.6 (1.7) |
| CDAI (median (IQR)) | 12.4 (18.9) | 10.8 (18.1) | 9.5 (16.6) |
| Modified HAQ (median (IQR)) | 0.25 (0.63) | 0.13 (0.63) | 0.13 (0.5) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Diabetes | 259 (5.5) | 287 (5.8) | 92 (5.2) |
| Hypertension | 1046 (22.3) | 1202 (24.2) | 433 (24.3) |
| Dyslipidaemia (treated) | 416 (8.9) | 471 (9.5) | 171 (9.6) |
| Current smoking use | 754 (16.1) | 753 (15.2) | 296 (16.6) |
| Family history of MI | 41 (0.9) | 52 (1.1) | 19 (1.1) |
| Previous CAD | 213 (4.6) | 243 (4.9) | 100 (5.6) |
| Previous history of MI | 139 (3.0) | 202 (4.1) | 83 (4.7) |
| Previous TIA/stroke | 229 (4.9) | 300 (6.0) | 116 (6.5) |
| Prednisone use | |||
| None | 2852 (60.9) | 3052 (61.4) | 1130 (63.3) |
| 1–7 mg | 1355 (28.9) | 1434 (28.9) | 465 (26.1) |
| ≥7.5 mg | 477 (10.2) | 483 (9.7) | 190 (10.6) |
| Other medications | |||
| Aspirin use | 673 (14.4) | 821 (16.5) | 325 (18.2) |
| Naproxen | 184 (3.9) | 201 (4.1) | 67 (3.8) |
| Other non-selective NSAID | 1061 (22.7) | 1091 (22.0) | 443 (24.8) |
| COX-2-selective NSAID | 1192 (25.5) | 1185 (23.7) | 405 (22.7) |
All values represent exposure periods expressed as N (%) unless otherwise specified.
↵* Monotherapy or combination therapy with any other disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), including methotrexate.
↵† Monotherapy or combination therapy with any other non-biological DMARD.
↵‡ Excludes patients without any DMARD therapy (N=373) during study period.
BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; CDAI, clinical disease activity index; COX-2, cyclooxygenase 2; DAS28, disease activity score in 28 joints; HAQ, health assessment questionnaire; MI, myocardial infarction; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TIA, transient ischaemic attack; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.