Baseline characteristics
| All | Etanercept | Sulfasalazine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 65 | 35 | 30 |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 33.0 (8.5) | 33.5 (8.7) | 32.4 (8.4) |
| Male, n (%) | 39 (60.0) | 22 (62.9) | 17 (56.7) |
| Symptom duration in years, mean (SD) | 2.7 (1.7) | 2.5 (1.6) | 3.0 (1.8) |
| HLA-B27 positive, n (%) | 54 (83.1) | 30 (85.7) | 24 (80.0) |
| Fulfilled modified New York criteria,37 n (%) | 54 (50.8) | 17 (48.6) | 16 (53.3) |
| Fatty lesions on VU level, n (%) | 67 (4.5) | 49 (6.1) | 18 (2.6) |
| Fatty lesions on SI joint quadrant level, n (%) | 202 (38.8) | 123 (43.9) | 79 (32.9) |
| Erosions on VU level, n (%) | 6 (0.4) | 4 (0.5) | 2 (0.3) |
| Erosions on SI joint level, n (%) | 95 (73.1) | 51 (72.9) | 44 (73.3) |
| Ankylosis on VU level, n (%) | 10 (0.7) | 6 (0.7) | 4 (0.6) |
| Ankylosis on SI joint level, n (%) | 9 (6.9) | 7 (10.0) | 2 (3.3) |
Mean values of fatty lesion scores, erosion scores and ankylosis scores shown in table 3.
HLA, human leucocyte antigen; SI joint, sacroiliac joint; VU, vertebral unit.