Patient characteristics by steroid use at remission
| Parameter | On steroid While at remission | Not on steroid While at remission | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAS28 remission | |||
| At remission | |||
| Concomitant DMARD, % | 90.2 | 95.2 | 0.132 |
| Methotrexate dose, mg/week, mean (SD) | 19.0 (4.5) | 18.3 (14.0) | 0.811 |
| Concomitant corticosteroid use, % | |||
| No use | 0.0 | 100.0 | NC |
| ≤5 mg/day | 51.8 | 0.0 | |
| >5 mg/day | 48.2 | 0.0 | |
| Corticosteroid dose*, mean (SD) | 6.2 (3.0) | NA | NC |
| At baseline | |||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 57.9 (13.2) | 55.0 (13.8) | 0.419 |
| Disease duration (years), mean (SD) | 10.0 (9.4) | 9.2 (9.4) | 0.821 |
| Concomitant DMARD, % | 90.2 | 93.9 | 0.299 |
| Concomitant corticosteroid use, % | |||
| No use | 8.2 | 81.0 | <0.001 |
| ≤5 mg/day | 18.0 | 4.3 | |
| >5 mg/day | 72.1 | 14.7 | |
| Missing dose | 1.6 | 0.0 | |
| Corticosteroid dose*, mean (SD) | 8.0 (4.6) | 10.1 (21.6) | 0.499 |
| CDAI remission | |||
| At remission | |||
| Concomitant DMARD, % | 100.0 | 100.0 | NC |
| Methotrexate dose†, mg/week, mean (SD) | 18.5 | 18.6 | 0.980 |
| Concomitant corticosteroid use, % | |||
| No use | 0.0 | 100.0 | NC |
| ≤5 mg/day | 51.7 | 0.0 | |
| >5 mg/day | 48.3 | 0.0 | |
| Corticosteroid dose*, mean (SD) | 5.6 (5.8) | NA | NC |
| At baseline | |||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 58.1 (13.9) | 54.1 (13.7) | 0.675 |
| Disease duration (years), mean (SD) | 9.9 (8.2) | 8.7 (9.1) | 0.480 |
| Concomitant DMARD, % | 92.3 | 95.4 | 0.440 |
| Concomitant corticosteroid use, % | |||
| No use | 10.3 | 80.9 | <0.001 |
| ≤5 mg/day | 23.1 | 3.9 | |
| >5 mg/day | 64.1 | 15.1 | |
| Missing dose | 2.6 | 0.0 | |
| Corticosteroid dose*, mean (SD) | 8.0 (4.2) | 6.3 (5.3) | 0.175 |
*Among patients taking a corticosteroid who had available information.
†Among users.
CDAI, Clinical Disease Activity Index; DAS28, disease activity score 28; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; NA, not applicable; NC, not calculable.