Patients’ characteristics at start of the TNFi treatment
| Discontinue (N=126) | Taper (N=458) | Continue (N=747) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age in years (SD) | 53 (13) | 54 (12) | 56 (13) | 0.061 |
| Female gender in % | 60 | 69 | 67 | 0.201 |
| RF positive in % | 68 | 73 | 67 | 0.063 |
| Presence of erosions in % | 59 | 67 | 59 | 0.054 |
| Median disease duration in years (IQR) | 4 (1–12) | 4 (2–11) | 5 (2–11) | 0.770 |
| Mean DAS28 (SD) | 4.9 (1.2) | 4.8 (1.4) | 4.9 (1.3) | 0.764 |
| Mean HAQ-DI (SD) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.3 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.6) | 0.441 |
| Median MTX dose in mg (IQR) | 15 (15–25) | 25 (20–25) | 15 (10–25) | 0.000 |
| <10 | 18.2 | 1.3 | 8.3 | |
| 10–17.5 | 46.3 | 21.4 | 31.6 | |
| 20–30 | 33.9 | 77.1 | 58.8 | |
| >30 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.2 | |
| Type of TNFi in % (n) | 0.079 | |||
| Adalimumab | 38.1 (48) | 44.3 (203) | 40.3 (301) | |
| Etanercept | 50.0 (63) | 44.8 (205) | 46.2 (345) | |
| Infliximab | 9.5 (12) | 10.9 (50) | 12.3 (92) | |
| Certolizumab pegol | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.4 (3) | |
| Golimumab | 2.4 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.8 (6) | |
| Median number of previous DMARDs (IQR) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–3) | 3 (2–4) | 0.043 |
| Number of present DMARDs* in % (n) | 0.107 | |||
| 1 | 70.6 (89) | 73.4 (336) | 66.1 (494) | |
| 2 | 27.0 (34) | 24.0 (110) | 30.0 (224) | |
| <2 | 2.4 (3) | 2.6 (12) | 3.8 (28) |
*These are without prednisone; prednisone was prescribed for 28% in the discontinuation group; for 25% in the taper group and for 31% in the continuation group.
Bold typeface indicates significance at p<0.05.
DAS28, Disease Activity Score of 28 joints; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; HAQ-DI, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index; MTX, methotrexate; RF, rheumatoid factor; TNFi, tumour necrosis factor inhibitor.