Baseline characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis by incident fractures*
| All patients with RA (n=11 412) | No fractures (n=10 498) | Incident fractures (n=914) | P value | |
| Age, years | 61.4 (10.8) | 61.2 (10.9) | 64.8 (10.1) | <0.001 |
| Age distribution, % | <0.001 | |||
| 40–50 years | 16.4 | 17.2 | 7.9 | |
| 51–64 years | 46.2 | 46.6 | 41.5 | |
| ≥65 years | 37.4 | 36.2 | 50.7 | |
| Women, % | 79.9 | 79.2 | 86.8 | <0.001 |
| Non-Hispanic Caucasians, % | 93.4 | 93.2 | 94.9 | 0.119 |
| Education level, years | 13.8 (2.2) | 13.8 (2.3) | 13.7 (2.3) | 0.101 |
| Disease duration, years | 15.6 (12.7) | 15.3 (12.6) | 18.3 (13.0) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.6 (6.8) | 28.7 (6.9) | 27.8 (6.4) | <0.001 |
| Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (0–9) | 1.8 (1.6) | 1.8 (1.6) | 2.1 (1.6) | <0.001 |
| Ever-smoked, % | 45.9 | 45.6 | 49.6 | 0.020 |
| HAQ (0–3) | 1.1 (0.7) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.2 (0.7) | <0.001 |
| Patient global score (0–10) | 3.5 (2.5) | 3.5 (2.5) | 3.8 (2.5) | <0.001 |
| Pain score (0–10) | 3.7 (2.8) | 3.7 (2.8) | 4.2 (2.8) | <0.001 |
| PAS (0–10) | 3.6 (2.2) | 3.5 (2.2) | 3.9 (2.2) | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate-ever, % | 72.9 | 72.7 | 75.5 | 0.102 |
| TNFi-ever, % | 42.1 | 42.2 | 41.0 | 0.733 |
| Non-TNFi bDMARDs-ever, % | 9.1 | 9.2 | 8.1 | 0.269 |
| Glucocorticoids-ever | 65.4 | 64.9 | 70.8 | <0.001 |
| Pattern of current glucocorticoid use†, % | <0.001 | |||
| None | 69.3 | 70 | 61.8 | |
| <7.5 mg/day for <3 months | 3.0 | 30 | 3.3 | |
| <7.5 mg/day for ≥3 months | 17.9 | 17.6 | 21.5 | |
| ≥7.5 mg/day for <3 months | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | |
| ≥7.5 mg/day for ≥3 months | 7.2 | 6.9 | 10.4 | |
| 10 year MOF risk by FRAX, % | 14.8 (11.3) | 13.9 (10.7) | 23.4 (12.9) | <0.001 |
| 10 year MOF risk categories by FRAX, % | <0.001 | |||
| Low (<10%) | 40.5 | 42.7 | 14.8 | |
| Medium (10%–20%) | 30.1 | 30.1 | 30.0 | |
| High (>20%) | 29.5 | 27.2 | 55.2 | |
| Prior diagnosis of osteoporosis, % | 21.1 | 19.9 | 34.0 | <0.001 |
| Osteoporosis specific medications‡, % | 31.9 | 30.7 | 45.7 | <0.001 |
| Statins, % | 21.4 | 21.6 | 20.2 | 0.485 |
| Antidepressants, % | 17.8 | 17.4 | 22.1 | <0.001 |
| PPIs, % | 26.9 | 26.5 | 31.5 | <0.001 |
| Opioids, % | 25.3 | 24.7 | 32.0 | <0.001 |
| NSAIDs, % | 55.9 | 55.8 | 57.2 | 0.732 |
| Anticonvulsants, % | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 0.300 |
| Antipsychotics, % | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 0.565 |
| Benzodiazepines, % | 5.7 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 0.110 |
*The values are presented as mean (SD) unless indicated otherwise.
†As prednisone dose equivalents.
‡Osteoporosis-specific medications included bisphosphonates, hormone replacement therapy, raloxifene and teriparatide.
BMI, body mass index;FRAX, Fracture Risk Assessment Tool;HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire;MOF, major osteoporotic fracture;NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PPIs, proton pump inhibitors;RA, rheumatoid arthritis;TNFi, tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors;bDMARDs, biological disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.