Baseline characteristics
| Sequential monotherapy | Step-up therapy | Initial combination with prednisone | Initial combination with infliximab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N=40 | N=45 | N=56 | N=43 | |
| Age (years), mean±SD | 56±15 | 53±15 | 57±13 | 53±16 |
| Female, n (%) | 30 (75) | 36 (80) | 38 (68) | 32 (74) |
| Symptom duration (weeks), median (IQR) | 19 (12–41) | 30 (16–52) | 22 (11–41) | 19 (13–31) |
| DAS, mean±SD | 4.6±0.9 | 4.7±0.8 | 4.5±0.8 | 4.6±1.0 |
| HAQ, mean±SD | 1.5±0.7 | 1.4±0.5 | 1.5±0.6 | 1.5±0.8 |
| RF positive, n (%) | 12 (30) | 12 (27) | 22 (39) | 13 (30) |
| Erosive disease, n (%) | 27 (68) | 28 (62) | 36 (64) | 28 (65) |
| Smoker, n (%) | 14 (35) | 11 (24) | 16 (29) | 10 (23) |
Erosive disease: >0.5 erosion score on radiographs of hands and feet based on the Sharp van der Heijde score. Radiographs were assessed by two independent readers, and the mean score of both readers was used.
DAS, disease activity score; HAQ, health assessment questionnaire (scale 0–3); RF, IgM rheumatoid factor.