Introduction
Materials and methods
Patients
Definition and identification of visits
Statistical analyses
Results
Patients
Patients | |
Age in years (mean ± SD) | 54.1 ± 14.9 |
Female gender | 79.9% |
Rheumatoid factor-positive | 55.3% |
Disease duration at baseline in years (mean ± SD) | 8.1 ± 10.6 |
Duration of follow-up in years (mean ± SD; range) | 5.1 ± 1.4; 6.8 |
Disease activity characteristics, median (quartiles) | |
Swollen joint count (0–28) | 3 (1; 7) |
Tender joint count (0–28) | 2 (0; 6) |
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate in millimeters (normal <20) | 23 (14; 55) |
C-reactive protein in milligrams per deciliter (normal <1.0) | 1.1 (0.5; 2.7) |
Patient assessment of pain in millimeters (0–100) | 37 (19; 53) |
Patient global assessment of activity in millimeters (0–100) | 37 (18; 58) |
Physician global assessment of activity in millimeters (0–100) | 34 (19; 49) |
Health Assessment Questionnaire (0–3) | 0.875 (0.25; 1.5) |
Reduced joint counts are specific in assessing absence of joint activity
32-JC remission | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | |||
28-JC remission | Yes | 176 | 11 | 187 |
No | 0 | 580 | 580 | |
176 | 591 |
32-JC remission | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | |||
28-JC remission | Yes | 233 | 21 | 254 |
No | 0 | 513 | 513 | |
233 | 534 |
Patients with residual joint activity by extensive joint counts are also different in most other disease activity measures
Swollen joints | Tender joints | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32JC- (n = 760) | 28JC-/32JC+ (n = 38) |
p
| 32JC- (n = 1,120) | 28JC-/32JC+ (n = 102) |
p
| |
SDAI | 6.45 | 8.93 | 0.03 | 7.95 | 10.91 | 0.00 |
DAS28 | 2.65 | 2.92 | 0.11 | 2.65 | 2.97 | 0.00 |
C-reactive protein (mg/dl) | 1.25 | 1.43 | 0.56 | 1.38 | 1.52 | 0.42 |
Pain (mm VAS) | 23 | 36 | 0.00 | 20 | 34 | 0.00 |
Patient global (mm VAS) | 22 | 39 | 0.00 | 21 | 35 | 0.00 |
Physician global (mm VAS) | 17 | 19 | 0.51 | 12 | 25 | 0.00 |