Table 6 Comparison of characteristics between RA patients who never achieved remission and those who achieved and maintained remission (case–control study, nested within the cohort)
Characteristic | RA patients who achieved and maintained remission | RA patients who never achieved sustained remission | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
( n = 46) | ( n = 14) | ||
Socio-demographic | |||
Female gender | 40 (87%) | 14 (100) | 0.32 |
Age (years) | 38.2 ± 10.5 | 38.7 ± 12.5 | 0.88 |
Years of formal education | 10.5 ± 8.8 | 10 ± 7.7 | 0.43 |
Current smokers | 5 (10.9) | 0 (0) | 0.33 |
Females with menopause (142 female) | 2 (5) | 1 (7) | 1 |
Baseline BMI (kg/m2) | 25.1 (22 to 27.5) | 27.8 (23.1 to 30.4) | 0.05 |
Disease characteristics | |||
Disease duration (months) | 5.8 (4.1 to 7.7) | 3.3 (1.6 to 6) | 0.03 |
Patients with ACCP | 38 (82.6) | 13 (92.9) | 0.67 |
Baseline DAS28 | 6 (4.6 to 6.8) | 7.3 (6.5 to 7.8) | 0.002 |
Baseline ESR (mm/hour) | 24.5 (14.3 to 37) | 43 (28.3 to 59.5) | 0.012 |
Baseline CRP (mg/dl) | 1 (0.3 to 3.4) | 2.4 (1.4 to 6.1) | 0.05 |
Baseline HAQ | 1.4 (0.6 to 2) | 2.3 (1.6 to 3) | 0.008 |
Patients with erosions at baseline | 5 (11) | 0 (0) | 0.33 |
Follow-up (months) | 88 (58.5 to 108) | 87 (57 to 108) | 0.96 |
Incidental MetS | 19 (41.3) | 11 (78.6) | 0.03 |
Comorbid conditions | |||
Patients with diabetes | 1 (2.2) | 0 (0) | 1 |
Patients with hypertension | 1 (2.2) | 0 (0) | 1 |
Patients with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 | 4 (8.7) | 6 (42.9) | 0.007 |
Treatment up to sustained remission a | |||
Number of DMARDs/patient | 2 (2 to 2.5) | 2.5 (2 to 2.75) | 0.08 |
Patients with corticosteroids | 30 (65.2) | 9 (64.3) | 1 |