Multivariate analyses for primary outcomes for monotherapy versus combination therapy and GC bridging therapy: oral tapering versus a single injection, intention-to-treat analysis
| Monotherapy (C) (reference) vs combination therapy (B) | Bridging: oral tapering (B) (reference) vs 1× IM injection (A) | |
|---|---|---|
| Linear regression, β (95% CI) | ||
| Difference in DAS at 3 months | −0.39 (−0.65 to −0.14)† | 0.15 (−0.11 to 0.41) |
| Difference in HAQ at 3 months | −0.19 (−0.34 to −0.03)‡ | 0.08 (−0.07 to 0.24) |
| Logistic regression, OR (95% CI) | ||
| Disease state according to DAS | ||
| Moderate to high disease activity* | 0.31 (0.15 to 0.68)§ | 1.89 (0.82 to 4.35) |
| Low disease activity | 1.31 (0.69 to 2.49) | 0.83 (0.43 to 1.59) |
| Remission | 1.90 (0.95 to 3.81) | 0.89 (0.45 to 1.76) |
Primary outcomes were corrected for gender, rheumatoid factor positivity, anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies positivity, presence of erosions, complaint duration and baseline DAS. The first mentioned treatment strategy in each column is used as reference group.
↵* Starting biological agent.
↵† p=0.002.
↵‡ p=0.017.
↵§ p=0.003.
DAS, Disease Activity Score; GCs, glucocorticoids; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; IM, intramuscular.