Baseline characteristics of RA patients who fulfilled or did not fulfil the ADA-free criteria (A) and who agreed or refused ADA discontinuation (B)
| Measurement Items | (A) | (B) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulfilled Criteria (n=75) | Not Fulfilled (n=122) | p Value | Discontinued ADA (n=52) | Continued ADA (n=23) | p Value | |
| Age | 60.2±11.7 | 61.0±11.4 | 0.8237 | 60.0±11.4 | 60.8±12.6 | 0.6048 |
| Gender, n (M/F) | 16/59 | 14/108 | 0.0688 | 12/40 | 4/19 | 0.7623 |
| Disease duration (years) | 7.5±10.2 | 9.6±10.3 | 0.0119* | 7.0±9.9 | 8.6±10.8 | 0.8136 |
| TJC28 | 8.0±6.3 | 9.1±6.8 | 0.2176 | 8.3±6.7 | 7.3±5.4 | 0.7208 |
| SJC28 | 6.3±4.8 | 7.7±5.6 | 0.0802 | 6.5±5.2 | 5.9±3.9 | 0.8445 |
| EGA (VAS, mm) | 32.4±20.6 | 40.4±23.7 | 0.0584 | 31.9±21.3 | 34.1±18.6 | 0.5630 |
| PGA (VAS, mm) | 41.3±24.2 | 54.9±24.8 | 0.0004** | 39.4±24.0 | 45.6±24.7 | 0.3637 |
| HAQ | 0.96±0.65 | 1.42±0.78 | <0.0001** | 0.94±0.67 | 1.01±0.62 | 0.5450 |
| CRP (mg/dL) | 2.10±3.23 | 3.12±4.35 | 0.1299 | 2.27±3.68 | 1.73±1.86 | 0.6833 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 44.1±32.2 | 53.0±32.9 | 0.0374* | 43.8±33.4 | 44.8±30.1 | 0.8182 |
| RF (U/mL) | 152.1±299.9 | 116.2±164.9 | 0.5924 | 112.5±144.4 | 241.7±492.1 | 0.1864 |
| MMP-3 (mg/mL) | 235±305 | 321±386 | 0.2274 | 225±344 | 258±197 | 0.0312*** |
| DAS28-4ESR | 5.1±1.3 | 5.7±1.2 | 0.0050* | 5.1±1.3 | 5.1±1.4 | 0.8813 |
| MTX (mg/w) | 9.3±2.6 | 8.6±3.3 | 0.2736 | 8.9±2.7 | 10.2±2.1 | 0.0317*** |
Data are reported as means±SD, unless otherwise indicated. Statistical significance was assessed by Fisher's exact test for categorical data and the Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous data. *p <0.05, **p<0.01: Fulfilled criteria versus Not fulfilled. ***p<0.05: ADA discontinuation versus ADA continuation.
ADA, adalimumab; CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28, disease activity score 28; EGA, evaluator global assessment; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; PGA, patient global assessment; MMP-3, matrix metalloproteinase-3MTX, methotrexate; RF, rheumatoid factor; SJC, swollen joint count; TJC, tender joint count; VAS, visual analogue scale.