Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Control group n=57 | Intervention group n=54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex—% female | 75 | 61 |
| Age—years | 56 (13) | 58 (14) |
| Symptom duration—months | 5.3 (3.2) | 5.0 (2.8) |
| Rheumatoid factor positive—% | 70 | 65 |
| Anti-CCP antibody positive—% | 60 | 59 |
| Current smoker—% | 30 | 26 |
| Former smoker—% | 32 | 24 |
| DAS44 | 4.4 (1.3) | 4.3 (1.0) |
| HAQ | 1.5 (0.8) | 1.5 (0.7) |
| 44 swollen joint count | 10 (7) | 9 (5) |
| Ritchie articular index | 20 (14) | 20 (12) |
| Patient global assessment—100 mm VAS | 56.4 (28.0) | 54.4 (21.4) |
| Physician global assessment—Likert 0–5 | 3.3 (0.7) | 3.2 (0.6) |
| Pain—100 mm VAS | 52 (25) | 46 (19) |
| ESR—mm/h | 39 (32) | 35 (25) |
| CRP—mg/L | 39 (57) | 35 (40) |
| EuroQoL5D-3L Index | 0.4 (0.4) | 0.3 (0.4) |
| MRI RAMRIS score | ||
| Erosions—median (IQR) | 3.5 (1.5, 6.0) | 4.0 (1.5, 6.8) |
| Synovitis—median (IQR) | 11.0 (6.5, 14.5) | 11.5 (8.5, 14.5) |
| Osteitis—median (IQR) | 2.5 (1.0, 7.5) | 4.0 (1.5, 7.0) |
| Modified sharp score | ||
| Erosion score—median (IQR) | 1.5 (0.5, 2.8) | 1.5 (1.0, 3.0) |
| Joint space narrowing—median (IQR) | 0.0 (0.0, 1.3) | 0.0 (0.0, 3.5) |
| Total sharp score—median (IQR) | 2.0 (0.8, 4.5) | 1.5 (1.0, 7.0) |
Unless otherwise stated values are mean (SD).
CRP, C reactive protein; DAS44, 44 joint disease activity score; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; VAS, visual analogue score.