Patients lacking classical poor prognostic markers might also benefit from a step-down glucocorticoid bridging scheme in early rheumatoid arthritis: week 16 results from the randomized multicenter CareRA trial

Table 2 Clinical outcomes at week 16 per treatment group ^a

	MTX-TSU	COBRA Slim	P -value
	n = 47	n = 43
DAS28(CRP) change	1.76 ± 1.68	2.12 ± 1.41	0.192
Remission	46.8%	65.1%	0.081
Low disease activity	72.3%	79.1%	0.458
Good EULAR response	44.7%	58.1%	0.202
Moderate EULAR response	72.3%	86.0%	0.111
HAQ change	0.40 ± 0.62	0.58 ± 0.64	0.267
Clinically meaningful HAQ change	53.2%	62.8%	0.357
HAQ score = 0	23.4%	51.2%	0.006

^aCOBRA Slim, COmbinatie therapie bij Reumatoïde Artritis; DAS28(CRP), Disease Activity Score in 28 joints based on C-reactive protein; DAS28(CRP) change, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints at baseline minus Disease Activity Score in 28 joints at week 16; EULAR, European League Against Rheumatism; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; HAQ change, Baseline Health Assessment Questionnaire score minus week 16 Health Assessment Questionnaire score; MTX-TSU, Methotrexate with tight step-up, 15 mg of MTX weekly, no oral steroids allowed. Clinically meaningful HAQ change is defined as a Health Assessment Questionnaire score change >0.22. Remission is defined as DAS28(CRP) <2.6. Low disease activity is defined as DAS28(CRP) ≤3.2. Good EULAR response is defined as low disease activity with a DAS28(CRP) change >1.2. Moderate EULAR response is defined as DAS28(CRP) change >1.2 or DAS28(CRP) change ≤5.1 and a DAS28(CRP) change between 0.6 and 1.2. Values reported are proportions or mean ± standard deviation. χ² tests and Mann–Whitney U tests were applied when appropriate. The significance level was set at 0.05.

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