Demographics and baseline disease characteristics
| Control (DESIR) n=193 | Etanercept (EMBARK) n=162 | p Value | |
| Age, years | 32.2 (7.0) | 31.8 (7.7) | 0.47* |
| Male, n/N (%) | 100/193 (51.8) | 106/162 (65.4) | 0.01† |
| Symptom duration, years | 1.7 (1.0) | 2.4 (1.8) | <0.001* |
| Current smoker, n/N (%) | 70/192 (36.5) | 37/162 (22.8) | 0.006† |
| HLA-B27(+), n/N (%) | 162/193 (83.9) | 113/156 (72.4) | 0.009† |
| BASDAI (0–10) | 3.6 (1.9) | 5.9 (1.8) | <0.001* |
| ASDAS | 2.2 (0.9) | 3.0 (1.0) | <0.001* |
| BASFI (0–10 cm VAS) | 2.2 (2.0) | 4.0 (2.4) | <0.001* |
| CRP, mg/L | 5.4 (7.5) | 6.9 (11.2) | 0.06* |
| SPARCC MRI SIJ score (0–72) | 5.8 (9.5) | 8.4 (11.0) | <0.001* |
| SPARCC MRI SIJ score ≥2, n/N (%) | 78/191 (40.8) | 95/159 (59.7) | <0.001† |
| Total SIJ score (mNY grade 0–8) | 1.9 (1.6) | 1.5 (1.2) | 0.03* |
| SIJ score met mNY criteria, n/N (%) | 39/193 (20.2) | 19/162 (11.7) | 0.03† |
Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise noted.
↵*Wilcoxon rank-sum.
↵†Mantel-Haenszel.
ASDAS, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score; BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; BASFI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; CRP, C-reactive protein; HLA, human leucocyte antigen; mNY, modified New York; SIJ, sacroiliac joint; SPARCC, Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada; VAS, visual analogue scale.