Patient characteristics at start of b/tsDMARD therapy, among all Swedish patients with RA, 2010–2020
| Etanercept | Adalimumab | Infliximab | Certolizumab | Golimumab | Abatacept | Rituximab | Tocilizumab | Sarilumab | Baricitinib | Tofacitinib | |
| N patients | 8748 | 5526 | 2971 | 2179 | 1889 | 3434 | 4220 | 2757 | 292 | 1837 | 426 |
| Person-years of exposure | 26 508.3 | 13 566.1 | 8217.7 | 6180.3 | 6051.1 | 8799.8 | 15 821.5 | 8089.8 | 380.5 | 3401.8 | 648.9 |
| Mean (SD) | 3.0 (2.8) | 2.5 (2.7) | 2.8 (2.9) | 2.8 (3.0) | 3.2 (3.1) | 2.6 (2.5) | 3.7 (3.1) | 2.9 (3.0) | 1.3 (0.9) | 1.9 (1.3) | 1.5 (1.3) |
| Demographics | |||||||||||
| Age, mean (SD) | 58 (14) | 58 (14) | 58 (14) | 56 (15) | 57 (14) | 61 (13) | 64 (13) | 59 (14) | 59 (14) | 61 (14) | 59 (13) |
| Female, % | 77 | 76 | 74 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 75 | 79 | 79 | 82 | 82 |
| Highest education, % | |||||||||||
| 9 years or less | 9 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
| 10 years to 12 years | 58 | 58 | 60 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 59 | 59 | 64 | 58 | 65 |
| >12 years | 33 | 34 | 27 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 33 | 30 |
| Swedish-born, % | 86 | 86 | 82 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 86 | 84 | 85 | 87 |
| Ever smoker, % | 58 | 58 | 60 | 57 | 54 | 61 | 64 | 58 | 58 | 59 | 59 |
| RA clinical characteristics | |||||||||||
| Rheumatoid factor positive, % | 72 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 76 | 86 | 76 | 74 | 74 | 71 |
| Disease duration, years, mean (SD) | 7.7 (10.6) | 8.4 (11.5) | 6.8 (10.8) | 8.3 (12.1) | 8.9 (10.9) | 11.7 (11.7) | 12.7 (11.7) | 10.5 (11.0) | 11.0 (10.2) | 13.2 (11.7) | 13.1 (11.1) |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 4.3 (1.2) | 4.2 (1.2) | 4.5 (1.2) | 4.4 (1.2) | 4.3 (1.3) | 4.5 (1.2) | 4.5 (1.2) | 4.8 (1.2) | 4.5 (1.2) | 4.3 (1.1) | 4.5 (1.3) |
| HAQ, mean (SD) | 1.0 (0.6) | 1.0 (0.6) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.0 (0.6) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.3 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.1 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.7) |
| Conc. MTX, % | 59 | 60 | 76 | 56 | 66 | 52 | 53 | 48 | 45 | 39 | 35 |
| Conc. non-MTX csDMARD, % | 16 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Conc. oral steroids, % | 43 | 40 | 44 | 47 | 41 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 38 | 45 | 52 |
| Prior b/tsDMARDs, % | |||||||||||
| 0 | 62 | 50 | 75 | 53 | 48 | 18 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| 1–2 | 32 | 42 | 20 | 33 | 39 | 51 | 46 | 53 | 50 | 38 | 29 |
| 3+ | 6 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 31 | 22 | 31 | 44 | 47 | 63 |
| Medical history* | |||||||||||
| Malignancy, % | 3.6 | 3 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 5 | 11.1 | 4 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| Serious infection, % | 9.2 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 18.2 | 17.3 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 15.1 | 14.8 |
| Serious herpes zoster % | 1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Joint surgery, % | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 9.5 | 9.1 | 13 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 13 | 12.8 | 14.8 |
| COPD, % | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 4 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 7.7 | 9.6 | 8 | 8.9 |
| ACS, % | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Stroke, % | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Days hospitalised, % | |||||||||||
| 0 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 61 | 57 | 66 | 75 | 67 | 64 |
| 1–9 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 23 |
| 10+ | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 22 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 13 |
*Medical history in 5 years before treatment start, except serious infection (1 year before start) and malignancy or joint surgery (10 years before).
ACS, acute coronary syndrome; COPD, chronic obstructive lung disease; csDMARD, conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.