Baseline characteristics of the patients with RA of the various subsets of patients
| Baseline characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete joint and US evaluations N=76 | Complete joint and US evaluations at 4 months N=68 | Complete radiographic evaluations N=59 | |
| Female, n (%) | 64 (84) | 56 (82) | 48 (81) |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 55.0 (12.6) | 55.7 (11.9) | 56.1 (12.4) |
| Disease duration, years, mean (SD) | 11.2 (8.9) | 11.1 (9.0) | 10.0 (7.7) |
| Rheumatoid factor-positive, n (%) | 59 (78) | 51 (75) | 43 (73) |
| DAS28-ESR, mean (SD) | 5.1 (1.3) | 5.1 (1.3) | 5.1 (1.3) |
| ESR, mm/h, mean (SD) | 29.9 (20.8) | 30.0 (20.2) | 29.7 (20.0) |
| CRP, mg/L, mean (SD) | 17.5 (19.0) | 17.1 (15.5) | 17.2 (15.7) |
| HAQ, mean (SD) | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.5 (0.6) | 1.4 (0.6) |
| Number of DMARDs, mean (SD) | 3.1 (1.9) | 3.1 (1.9) | 3.1 (1.9) |
| History of anti-TNF, n (%) | 23 (30) | 21 (31) | 19 (32) |
| History of surgery for RA, n (%) | 21 (28%) | 18 (27%) | 14 (24%) |
CRP, C reactive protein; DAS28, disease activity score; DMARD, disease modifying antirheumatic drug; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; US, ultrasound.