Baseline characteristics | Abatacept group (n=16) | Tocilizumab group (n=35) |
---|---|---|
Age (years), mean (SEM) | 56.57 (3.4) | 55.83 (2.6) |
Gender, female (% patients) | 12 (75) | 28 (80) |
Disease duration (years), median (range) | 15 (5–15) | 11 (4–56) |
RF or CCP2 positive (% patients) | 16 (100) | 35 (100) |
Erosion (% patients) | 14 (88) | 34 (97) |
Concomitant DMARD, number of patients | 12 (MTX=8) | 27 (MTX=25) |
TNFi exposure, number of patients (%) | 15 (94) | 34 (97) |
Rituximab cycles, mean (SEM) | 2.13 (0.24) | 2.46 (0.17) |
TJC, mean (SEM) | 14.63 (1.9) | 13.65 (1.2) |
SJC, mean (SEM) | 6.5 (1.1) | 5.59 (0.63) |
VAS (GH), mean (SEM) | 68.81 (4.6) | 71.8 (2.7) |
CRP (mg/l), mean (SEM) | 16.32 (7) | 29.4 (7.5) |
Time between last infusion of rituximab and 1st dose of abatacept or tocilizumab (weeks), median (range) | 42 (7–208) | 48 (14–168) |
CCP2, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, positive >7 µ/mL; CRP, C-reactive protein; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; MTX, methotrexate; RF, rheumatoid factor, positive>20 µ/mL; SJC, swollen joint count (28); TNFi, anti-tumour necrosis factor inhibitor; TJC, tender joint count (28); VAS (GH), Visual Analogue Scale (global health) (0–100).