Patient characteristics at baseline (N=13 991)
| Monoclonal anti-TNF antibodies n=3242 (23.17%) | Soluble TNF receptor fusion protein n=2513 (17.96%) | T cell costimulation modulator n=817 (5.84%) | B cell targeted therapies n=1431 (10.23%) | IL-6 inhibitors n=1424 (10.18%) | JAK inhibitors n=713 (5.10%) | csDMARDs n=3851 (27.52%) | |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 55.1 (12.9) | 58.5 (12.8) | 58.2 (12.9) | 58.1 (11.8) | 57.1 (12.7) | 59.5 (11.9) | 58.9 (12.6) |
| Women, n (%) | 2439 (75.2) | 1801 (71.7) | 607 (74.3) | 1102 (77.0) | 1101 (77.3) | 531 (74.5) | 2837 (73.7) |
| RF positive, n (%) | 2188 (69.0) | 1664 (67.9) | 599 (75.2) | 1199 (84.3) | 996 (74.0) | 497 (71.2) | 2173 (57.3) |
| ACPA positive, n (%) | 1854 (68.6) | 1486 (67.8) | 482 (70.2) | 679 (76.0) | 844 (72.6) | 468 (68.6) | 1818 (54.5) |
| FFbH score, mean (SD) | 67.7 (22.2) | 65.9 (22.9) | 59.5 (23.5) | 56.0 (23.4) | 63.3 (23.7) | 63.4 (24.2) | 71.3 (21.9) |
| Disease duration, median (IQR), years | 7.0 (3.0–13.0) | 7.0 (3.0–13.0) | 10.0 (4.0–17.0) | 12.0 (7.0–19.0) | 9.0 (4.0–16.0) | 8.0 (3.0–16.0) | 3.0 (1.0–8.0) |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 4.8 (1.3) | 4.9 (1.2) | 5.2 (1.3) | 5.3 (1.3) | 5.1 (1.3) | 4.7 (1.3) | 4.4 (1.3) |
| CRP, median (IQR), mg/L | 6.8 (2.9–15.9) | 7.3 (3.0–18.0) | 7.2 (3.0–19.3) | 9.1 (3.3–22.9) | 7.4 (2.6–20.0) | 6.1 (2.3–14.1) | 5.4 (2.3–12.8) |
| CDAI, median (IQR) | 22.0 (16.0–31.0) | 24.0 (17.0–32.0) | 25.0 (18.0–34.0) | 24.0 (15.0–34.0) | 24.0 (17.0–31.0) | 23.0 (16.0–31.0) | 18.0 (12.0–26.0) |
| Previous csDMARD therapies, mean (SD) | 2.2 (1.0) | 2.2 (1.0) | 2.5 (1.3) | 2.7 (1.3) | 2.3 (1.1) | 2.0 (0.9) | 1.3 (0.6) |
| Previous bDMARD/tsDMARD therapies, mean (SD) | 0.3 (0.7) | 0.2 (0.5) | 1.3 (1.3) | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.1 (1.2) | 1.0 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.2) |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 1906 (58.8) | 1277 (50.8) | 556 (68.1) | 804 (56.2) | 513 (36.0) | 263 (36.9) | 2405 (62.5) |
| Glucocorticoids, n (%) | 1934 (59.7) | 1476 (58.8) | 463 (56.8) | 961 (68.0) | 822 (57.8) | 312 (43.9) | 1823 (47.4) |
| Glucocorticoids, ≥10 mg, n (%) | 490 (15.2) | 377 (15.0) | 128 (15.7) | 332 (23.6) | 269 (18.9) | 64 (9.1) | 291 (7.6) |
| Comorbidities, mean (SD) | 2.1 (2.2) | 2.5 (2.3) | 3.1 (2.7) | 2.8 (2.4) | 2.4 (2.3) | 2.8 (2.3) | 1.9 (2.0) |
| Osteoporosis, n (%) | 412 (12.7) | 450 (17.9) | 202 (24.7) | 402 (28.1) | 251 (17.6) | 123 (17.3) | 434 (11.3) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 1214 (37.4) | 1124 (44.7) | 398 (48.7) | 600 (41.9) | 590 (41.4) | 340 (47.7) | 1673 (43.4) |
| Coronary heart disease, n (%) | 182 (5.6) | 193 (7.7) | 69 (8.4) | 111 (7.8) | 101 (7.1) | 60 (8.4) | 223 (5.8) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 349 (10.8) | 312 (12.4) | 102 (12.5) | 161 (11.3) | 175 (12.3) | 96 (13.5) | 429 (11.1) |
| Chronic obstructive respiratory disease, n (%) | 119 (3.7) | 145 (5.8) | 59 (7.2) | 83 (5.8) | 64 (4.5) | 41 (5.8) | 173 (4.5) |
| Chronic kidney disease, n (%) | 146 (4.5) | 170 (6.8) | 53 (6.5) | 87 (6.1) | 75 (5.3) | 55 (7.7) | 147 (3.8) |
| Malignant neoplasia, n (%) | 90 (2.8) | 95 (3.8) | 36 (4.4) | 142 (9.9) | 48 (3.4) | 26 (3.6) | 157 (4.1) |
| Lymphoma/leukaemia, n (%) | 3 (0.1) | 4 (0.2) | 3 (0.4) | 39 (2.7) | 5 (0.4) | 3 (0.4) | 20 (0.5) |
| Mental illness/depression, n (%) | 246 (7.6) | 199 (7.9) | 70 (8.6) | 85 (5.9) | 127 (8.9) | 84 (11.8) | 250 (6.5) |
ACPA, anticitrullinated protein antibodies; bDMARDs, biologic DMARDs; CDAI, Clinical Disease Activity Index; CRP, C reactive protein; csDMARDs, conventional synthetic DMARDs; DAS28, Disease Activity Score of 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; FFbH, Hannover Functional Status Questionnaire; IL-6, interleukin 6; JAK, Janus kinase; RF, rheumatoid factor; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; tsDMARDs, targeted synthetic DMARDs.