Table 1 Patient characteristics of the included cohorts
Characteristics | Cohort I | Cohort II | Cohort III (rituximab) |
|---|---|---|---|
Number = 32 | Number = 182 | Number = 40 | |
Demographics | |||
Age, years | 49 ± 10 | 54 ± 12 | 57 ± 10 |
Female, number (%) | 22 (69) | 135 (75) | 34 (85) |
Disease characteristics | |||
Disease duration, years | 7.5 ± 8.9 | 9.5 ± 10.2 | 11.0 ± 9.5 |
Disease activity (DAS28) | 5.4 ± 1.3 | 5.1 ± 1.2 | 5.8 ± 1.1 |
ESR, mm/hour | 29.3 ± 22.2 | 24.5 ± 18.0 | 29.2 ± 23.8 |
CRP, mg/L | 18.8 ± 19.4a | 17.8 ± 22.1 | 17.7 ± 17.7 |
Erosions, number (%) | 24 (75) | 131 (72) | 28 (72) |
IgM RF positive, number (%) | 28 (88) | 130 (71) | 27 (68) |
ACPA positive, number (%) | 26 (87)b | 129 (75)c | 29 (73) |
Medication | |||
Current prednisone use, number (%) | 6 (19) | 52 (29) | 27 (68) |
Prednisone dosage, mg/day | 8 ± 2 | 7.2 ± 3.5 | 6.75 ± 6.0 |
Current MTX use, number (%) | 25 (78) | 152 (84) | 26 (65) |
MTX dosage, mg/week | 21.2 ± 7.1 | 21.0 ± 6.3 | 18.7 ± 8.2 |
Current SSZ use, number (%) | N/A | 27 (16)d | 7 (18) |
Current HCQ use, number (%) | N/A | 35 (20)d | 5 (13) |