Table 1 Characteristics of the study population and their disease before the evaluated BIO DMARDs administration
Total group (n = 332) | Standard care group (n = 192) | Dose reduction group (n = 140) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Patient age in 2017, years (mean ± SD) | 57.83 ± 15.12 | 55.70 ± 15.78 | 60.74 ± 13.69 | 0.02 |
Patient age at the RA diagnostic, years (mean ± SD) | 40.56 ± 13.89 | 38.72 ± 13.99 | 43.08 ± 13.39 | 0.04 |
Patient age at the introduction of the evaluated biologic treatment, years (mean ± SD) | 51.16 ± 14.33 | 49.99 ± 14.82 | 52.77 ± 13.50 | |
Disease duration at the introduction of the first sDMARD, years (mean ± SD) | 2.10 ± 5.12 | 2.05 ± 5.21 | 2.17 ± 5.02 | |
Disease duration at the introduction of the first bDMARD, years (mean ± SD) | 8.33 ± 9.13 | 9.06 ± 9.62 | 7.34 ± 8.35 | |
Disease duration at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD, years (mean ± SD) | 11.09 ± 9.99 | 12.08 ± 10.60 | 9.73 ± 8.95 | 0.034 |
Women, n (%) | 259 (78%) | 143 (74.5%) | 116 (82.9%) | |
Anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive, n (%) | 221 (73.9%) | 123 (70.3%) | 98 (79%) | |
Rheumatoid factor positive, n (%) | 252 (77.3%) | 137 (72.8%) | 115 (83.3%) | 0.04 |
Presence of erosion, n (%) | 290 (87.3%) | 166 (86.5%) | 124 (88.6%) | |
Smoking status, n (%) | 52 (17%) | 28 (16,4%) | 24 (17.6%) | |
Tender joint count (0–68 scale) at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 11.02 ± 8.8 | 11.14 ± 8.52 | 10.85 ± 9.33 | |
Swollen joint count (0–68 scale) at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 8.56 ± 5.77 | 8.41 ± 6.06 | 8.76 ± 5.36 | |
Health assessment questionnaire (0–3 scale) at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 1.45 ± 0.71 | 1.52 ± 0.70 | 1.34 ± 0.71 | 0.048 |
Patient global assessment (0–100 mm) at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 64.29 ± 23.70 | 67.11 ± 22.33 | 60.09 ± 25.14 | 0.024 |
C-reactive protein (mg/dl) at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 2.61 ± 7.19 | 2.71 ± 9.08 | 2.49 ± 3.21 | |
Disease activity score in 28 joints at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD (mean ± SD) | 4.82 ± 1.02 | 4.83 ± 0.98 | 4.80 ± 1.09 | |
Glucocorticoids intake at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD, n (%) | 173 (53.2%) | 99 (52.1%) | 74 (54.8%) | |
Methotrexate intake at the introduction of the evaluated bDMARD, n (%) | 258 (77.7%) | 141 (73.8%) | 117 (86.7%) | 0.005 |