Patient demographic and clinical characteristics
| Parameter | Not deceased | Deceased | Total |
| N | 3339 | 390 | 3729 |
| General | |||
| Age (years) | 55.5 (15.2) | 69.7 (14.6) | 57.0 (15.7) |
| ≤30 | 197 (5.9) | 9 (2.3) | 206 (5.5) |
| 31–50 | 1012 (30.3) | 31 (7.9) | 1043 (28) |
| 51–65 | 1255 (37.6) | 82 (21) | 1337 (35.9) |
| 66–75 | 536 (16.1) | 109 (27.9) | 645 (17.3) |
| >75 | 339 (10.2) | 159 (40.8) | 498 (13.4) |
| Male sex | 1031 (30.9) | 164 (42.1) | 1195 (32) |
| Ever smoker | 664 (23.3) (N=2854) (Missing=485) | 112 (36.1) (N=310) (Missing=80) | 776 (24.5) (N=3164) (Missing=565) |
| Regions | |||
| African region | 14 (0.4) | 2 (0.5) | 16 (0.4) |
| Eastern Mediterranean region | 83 (2.5) | 11 (2.8) | 94 (2.5) |
| European region | 2040 (61.1) | 275 (70.5) | 2315 (62.1) |
| North American region | 1024 (30.7) | 81 (20.8) | 1105 (29.6) |
| South American region | 112 (3.4) | 10 (2.6) | 122 (3.3) |
| South-East Asian region | 11 (0.3) | 0 | 11 (0.3) |
| Western Pacific region | 55 (1.6) | 11 (2.8) | 66 (1.8) |
| Inflammatory joint diseases | |||
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 1224 (36.7) | 170 (43.6) | 1394 (37.4) |
| Spondyloarthritis | 416 (12.5) | 15 (3.8) | 431 (11.6) |
| Psoriatic arthritis | 420 (12.6) | 20 (5.1) | 440 (11.8) |
| Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (poly, oligo, not systemic) | 21 (0.6) | 4 (1) | 25 (0.7) |
| Other inflammatory arthritis | 90 (2.7) | 8 (2.1) | 98 (2.6) |
| Total Inflammatory joint diseases | 2158 (64.6) | 215 (55.1) | 2373 (63.6) |
| Connective tissue diseases/Vasculitis | |||
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | 355 (10.6) | 36 (9.2) | 391 (10.5) |
| Connective tissue diseases (other than SLE) | 473 (14.2) | 60 (15.4) | 533 (14.3) |
| Vasculitis | 258 (7.7) | 68 (17.4) | 326 (8.7) |
| Total CTD | 1035 (31) | 158 (40.5) | 1193 (32.0) |
| Other RMDs | |||
| Total | 306 (9.2) | 50 (12.8) | 356 (9.5) |
| Disease activity |
N=2464
(Missing=875) |
N=294
(Missing=96) |
N=2758
(Missing=971) |
| Remission | 799 (32.4) | 94 (32) | 893 (32.4) |
| Minimal/low disease activity | 1202 (48.8) | 107 (36.4) | 1309 (47.5) |
| Moderate disease activity | 388 (15.7) | 60 (20.4) | 448 (16.2) |
| Severe/high disease activity | 75 (3) | 33 (11.2) | 108 (3.9) |
| Other outcomes | |||
| Hospitalised | 1368 (43.3) (N=3162) (Missing=177) | 371 (96.6) (N=384) (Missing=6) | 1739 (49) (N=3546) (Missing=183) |
| Invasive ventilation | 67 (2.5) (N=2701) (Missing=638) | 120 (40.8) (N=294) (Missing=96) | 187 (6.2) (N=2995) (Missing=734) |
| Comorbidities |
N=3314
(Missing=25) |
N=386
(Missing=4) |
N=3700
(Missing=29) |
| Hypertension | 1095 (33) | 212 (54.9) | 1307 (35.3) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 318 (9.6) | 124 (32.1) | 442 (11.9) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 89 (2.7) | 20 (5.2) | 109 (2.9) |
| Chronic lung disease | 581 (17.5) | 138 (35.8) | 719 (19.4) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 181 (5.5) | 77 (19.9) | 258 (7) |
| Obesity (BMI ≥30) | 539 (16.3) | 58 (15) | 597 (16.1) |
| Morbid obesity (BMI ≥40) | 106 (3.2) | 16 (4.1) | 122 (3.3) |
| Diabetes | 410 (12.4) | 95 (24.6) | 505 (13.6) |
| Cancer | 165 (5) | 49 (12.7) | 214 (5.8) |
| Other comorbidities | 771 (23.3) | 126 (32.6) | 897 (24.2) |
| Number of comorbities | 1.3 (1.3) | 2.5 (1.6) | 1.4 (1.3) |
| No comorbidity | 1090 (32.9) | 28 (7.3) | 1118 (30.2) |
| One comorbidity | 1032 (31.1) | 83 (21.5) | 1115 (30.1) |
| Two comorbidities | 597 (18) | 110 (28.5) | 707 (19.1) |
| ≥3 comorbidites | 595 (18) | 165 (42.7) | 760 (20.5) |
| DMARD therapies | |||
| csDMARDs monotherapy | 592 (17.7) | 59 (15.1) | 651 (17.5) |
| csDMARDs combination therapy | 692 (20.7) | 61 (15.6) | 753 (20.2) |
| Methotrexate monotherapy | 531 (15.9) | 47 (12.1) | 578 (15.5) |
| Methotrexate combination therapy | 607 (18.2) | 52 (13.3) | 659 (17.7) |
| Leflunomide monotherapy | 61 (1.8) | 12 (3.1) | 73 (2) |
| Leflunomide combination therapy | 120 (3.6) | 10 (2.6) | 130 (3.5) |
| Sulfasalazine monotherapy | 51 (1.5) | 16 (4.1) | 67 (1.8) |
| Sulfasalazine combination therapy | 129 (3.9) | 26 (6.7) | 155 (4.2) |
| Antimalarial monotherapy | 287 (8.6) | 17 (4.4) | 304 (8.2) |
| Antimalarial combination therapy | 322 (9.6) | 39 (10) | 361 (9.7) |
| Immunosuppressants monotherapy | 149 (4.5) | 26 (6.7) | 175 (4.7) |
| Immunosuppressants combination therapy | 147 (4.4) | 21 (5.4) | 168 (4.5) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil monotherapy | 68 (2) | 14 (3.6) | 82 (2.2) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil combination therapy | 81 (2.4) | 15 (3.8) | 96 (2.6) |
| Azathioprine monotherapy | 63 (1.9) | 7 (1.8) | 70 (1.9) |
| Azathioprine combination therapy | 51 (1.5) | 3 (0.8) | 54 (1.4) |
| Cyclophosphamide monotherapy | 10 (0.3) | 3 (0.8) | 13 (0.3) |
| Cyclophosphamide combination therapy | 5 (0.1) | 5 (1.3) | 10 (0.3) |
| Tacrolimus monotherapy | 5 (0.1) | 2 (0.5) | 7 (0.2) |
| Tacrolimus combination therapy | 11 (0.3) | 0 | 11 (0.3) |
| Ciclosporin monotherapy | 3 (0.1) | 0 | 3 (0.1) |
| Ciclosporin combination therapy | 11 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | 12 (0.3) |
| bDMARDs monotherapy | 675 (20.2) | 48 (12.3) | 723 (19.4) |
| bDMARDs combination therapy | 562 (16.8) | 46 (11.8) | 608 (16.3) |
| TNF inhibitors monotherapy | 434 (13) | 13 (3.3) | 447 (12) |
| TNF inhibitors combination therapy | 340 (10.2) | 17 (4.4) | 357 (9.6) |
| Abatacept monotherapy | 28 (0.8) | 4 (1) | 32 (0.9) |
| Abatacept combination therapy | 46 (1.4) | 5 (1.3) | 51 (1.4) |
| B-cell-targeted bDMARDs monotherapy | 71 (2.1) | 25 (6.4) | 96 (2.6) |
| B-cell-targeted bDMARDs combination therapy | 106 (3.2) | 18 (4.6) | 124 (3.3) |
| Rituximab monotherapy | 66 (2) | 25 (6.4) | 91 (2.4) |
| Rituximab combination therapy | 85 (2.5) | 17 (4.4) | 102 (2.7) |
| Belimumab monotherapy | 5 (0.1) | 0 | 5 (0.1) |
| Belimumab combination therapy | 22 (0.7) | 1 (0.3) | 23 (0.6) |
| IL-6 inhibitors monotherapy | 51 (1.5) | 3 (0.8) | 54 (1.4) |
| IL-6 inhibitors combination therapy | 34 (1) | 2 (0.5) | 36 (1) |
| IL-1 inhibitors monotherapy | 10 (0.3) | 2 (0.5) | 12 (0.3) |
| IL-1 inhibitors combination therapy | 4 (0.1) | 4 (1) | 8 (0.2) |
| IL-17, IL-23, IL-12/23 inhibitors monotherapy | 79 (2.4) | 1 (0.3) | 80 (2.1) |
| IL-17, IL-23, IL-12/23 inhibitors combination therapy | 36 (1.1) | 0 | 36 (1) |
| tsDMARDs monotherapy | 61 (1.8) | 5 (1.3) | 66 (1.8) |
| tsDMARDs (*) combination therapy | 71 (2.1) | 10 (2.6) | 81 (2.2) |
| JAK inhibitors monotherapy | 54 (1.6) | 4 (1) | 58 (1.6) |
| JAK inhibitors combination therapy | 67 (2) | 9 (2.3) | 76 (2) |
| Apremilast monotherapy | 7 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) | 8 (0.2) |
| Apremilast combination therapy | 3 (0.1) | 1 (0.3) | 4 (0.1) |
| No DMARD therapies | 615 (18.4) | 124 (31.8) | 739 (19.8) |
| Further therapies | |||
| Glucocorticoids (#) | 1056 (32) (N=3302) (Missing=37) | 217 (57.1) (N=380) (Missing=10) | 1273 (34.6) (N=3682) (Missing=47) |
| Glucocorticoids 1–10 mg/day | 833 (25.6) (N=3254) (Missing=85) | 150 (41.3) (N=363) (Missing=27) | 983 (27.2) (N=3617) (Missing=112) |
| Glucocorticoids>10 mg/day | 171 (5.3) (N=3254) (Missing=85) | 49 (13.5) (N=363) (Missing=27) | 220 (6.1) (N=3617) (Missing=112) |
| NSAIDs | 600 (19.3) (N=3103) (Missing=236) | 38 (11.0) (N=345) (Missing=45) | 638 (18.5) (N=3448) (Missing=281) |
Data are N (column %) for categorical variables or mean (SD) for continuous variables. The table includes all patients with a non-missing outcome and non-missing values for age, sex and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (101 patients excluded). Data refer to patients with non-missing values for the respective variable; total N for patients with non-missing values is given in parentheses for variables with missing values; the total number of missing values is also given in parenthesis, for the applicable variables. (*) Includes one patient on a study medication (Lenabasum). (#) Includes patients with a missing glucocorticoid dosage.
bDMARD, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; BMI, body mass index; csDMARD, conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; CTD, connective tissue diseases; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; IL, interleukin; JAK, Janus kinase; JIA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis; N, number; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; tsDMARD, targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.