Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes according to anti-CarP status
| Anti-CarP-positive n=172 | Anti-CarP-negative n=350 | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | |||
| Age (years), mean±SD | 52±13 | 52±15 | 0.570 |
| Female, n (%) | 116 (67) | 238 (68) | 0.898 |
| RA (2010), n (%) | 162 (94) | 254 (73) | <0.001 |
| DAS, mean±SD | 3.27±0.91 | 3.22±0.94 | 0.624 |
| HAQ, mean±SD | 1.12±0.66 | 1.19±0.65 | 0.292 |
| Symptom duration (in weeks), median (IQR) | 17 (8–33) | 18 (9–33) | 0.517 |
| Symptom duration <12 weeks, n (%) | 64 (37) | 113 (32) | 0.262 |
| RF positive, n (%) | 143 (83) | 147 (42) | <0.001 |
| ACPA positive, n (%) | 150 (87) | 134 (38) | <0.001 |
| ESR mm/h, median (IQR) | 31 (17–44.8) | 21 (10–38) | 0.001 |
| SJC, median (IQR) | 6 (3–9) | 5 (3–10) | 0.714 |
| TJC, median (IQR) | 6 (4–9) | 7 (4–10) | 0.540 |
| Total SHS, median | 0 (0–0.5) | 0 (0–0) | 0.361 |
| Early DAS remission 4 months, n (%) | 116 (67) | 203 (58) | 0.038 |
| 2 years | |||
| DAS, mean±SD | 1.46±0.87 | 1.51±0.82 | 0.536 |
| HAQ, mean±SD | 0.46±0.57 | 0.58±0.61 | 0.064 |
| Total SHS, median (IQR) | 0 (0–1.4) | 0 (0–0.5) | 0.179 |
| SHS progression, median (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.025 |
| SHS progression, n (%)* | 22 (13) | 22 (6) | 0.012 |
| DAS remission, n (%) | 88 (51) | 170 (49) | 0.648 |
| Drug-free remission, n (%) | 32 (19) | 84 (24) | 0.111 |
| ACR/EULAR remission, n (%) | 42 (24) | 75 (21) | 0.489 |
ACPA, anticitrullinated protein antibodies; Anti-CarP, anticarbamylated protein antibodies; ACR, American College of Rheumatology; DAS, disease activity score; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; EULAR, European League Against Rheumatism; HAQ, health assessment questionnaire; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; SHS, Sharp/van der Heijde score; SJC, swollen joint count; TJC, tender joint count.
*The other 6 patients with SHS progression had missing anti-CarP values.