Table 1

Baseline characteristics by treatment group at inclusion

MTXsDMARDs no MTXTNFα inhibitorsRituximabOther biologicsTotal
n206092846497035688908
Follow-up (months)*43.9 (32.7)39.4 (31.7)46.5 (32.3)28.0 (14.6)25.4 (23.1)42.4 (31.6)
Female1565 (76.0)744 (80.2)3584 (77.1)552 (78.5)438 (77.1)6883 (77.3)
Age56.4 (12.0)58.5 (12.4)54.5 (12.4)58.5 (12.0)56.4 (12.9)55.8 (12.4)
Disease duration7.2 (7.7)8.8 (9.3)11.2 (9.3)13.6 (10.2)12.9 (9.0)10.3 (9.2)
Rheumatoid factor positive1361 (66.1)591 (63.7)3614 (78.0)578 (82.3)416 (73.9)6560 (73.8)
DAS284.9 (1.3)4.8 (1.3)5.6 (1.3)5.5 (1.3)5.6 (1.3)5.3 (1.3)
Percent of full function (FFbH)69.2 (21.6)67.7 (22.0)59.2 (23.1)53.8 (23.6)58.1 (23.9)61.9 (23.3)
Glucocorticoids1260 (61.1)516 (55.6)3456 (73.3)523 (74.4)400 (70.4)6155 (69.1)
Prednisone dose (mg/d)4.2 (5.4)3.6 (4.4)6.4 (7.0)6.3 (5.9)6.0 (6.0)5.6 (6.3)
Diabetes175 (8.5)101 (10.9)418 (9.0)76 (10.8)58 (10.2)828 (9.3)
Coronary heart disease114 (5.5)70 (7.5)324 (7.0)84 (12.0)51 (9.0)643 (7.2)
Among them: heart failure20 (1.0)11 (1.2)110 (2.4)41 (5.8)24 (4.2)206 (2.3)
Chronic lung disease111 (5.4)77 (8.3)349 (7.5)65 (9.3)36 (6.3)638 (7.2)
Chronic renal disease23 (1.1)26 (2.8)188 (4.0)45 (6.4)30 (5.3)312 (3.5)
Prior malignancy69 (3.4)32 (3.5)96 (2.1)82 (11.7)28 (4.9)307 (3.4)
Osteoporosis291 (14.1)157 (16.9)986 (21.2)194 (27.6)138 (24.3)1766 (19.8)
Smoker501 (24.3)178 (19.2)1077 (23.2)161 (23.0)136 (24.0)2053 (23.1)
  • Values are means (SDs) or numbers (%) as appropriate. Methotrexate (MTX) group: patients treated with MTX alone or in combination with other synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (sDMARD), sDMARD no MTX group: treatment with sDMARDs without MTX.

  • *Follow-up of patients per treatment group at inclusion.