Baseline characteristics of patients with RA and NIRMD by serious infections‡
| Patients without serious infections | Patients with serious infections | |||||
| RA N=18 707 | NIRMD N=5895 | P values | RA N=1600 | NIRMD N=276 | P values | |
| Age, years | 57.7 (13.8)* | 62.5 (13.4)† | 0.01 | 66.8 (12.0)* | 72 (11.6)† | <0.001 |
| Male, % | 19.8 * | 19.5 | 0.511 | 24.6* | 22.1 | 0.301 |
| White, % | 94.2 | 96.6 | <0.001 | 94.7 | 95.7 | 0.504 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.9 (7.1) | 29.3 (7.3)† | <0.001 | 28.4 (7.5) | 30.6 (8.5)† | <0.001 |
| Rural, % | 26.4 * | 23.9 † | <0.001 | 32.2* | 25.3† | 0.023 |
| Prior infections, % | 4.7 * | 3.6 | 0.001 | 11.9* | 11.6 | 0.037 |
| Ever-smokers, % | 40.6 * | 34.7† | <0.001 | 50.6* | 40.6† | 0.002 |
| Diabetes, % | 8.2* | 8.5† | 0.557 | 14.0* | 18.1† | 0.086 |
| Disease duration, years | 13.8 (12.5)* | 15.4 (13.4)† | <0.001 | 19.9 (12.8)* | 22 (15.2)† | 0.460 |
| Modified RDCI (0 to 5) | 1.4 (1.1)* | 159 (1.1)† | <0.001 | 1.7 (1.1)* | 1.9 (1.1)† | <0.001 |
| HAQ (0–3) | 1.1 (0.7)* | 1.1 (0.7) | 0.64 | 1.3 (0.7)* | 1.2 (0.7) | 0.150 |
| Pain (0–10) | 4.2 (2.9)* | 4.2 (2.8)† | 0.74 | 4.5 (2.8)* | 4.8 (2.9)† | 0.910 |
| Patient global (0–10) | 3.8 (2.6)* | 3.8 (2.5)† | 0.78 | 4.3 (2.5)* | 4.2 (2.5)† | 0.470 |
| PAS (0–10) | 3.9 (2.3)* | -- | -- | 4.41 (2.19)* | -- | -- |
| Remission/low activity, % | 47.6* | -- | 37.9* | -- | -- | |
| Moderate activity, % | 49.3* | -- | 57.8* | -- | ||
| High activity, % | 3.1* | -- | 4.3* | -- | ||
| bDMARDs, % (n=16 775) | 35.3* | -- | 39.3* | -- | ||
| Glucocorticoids, % | 28.3 | 4.4 | <0.001 | 47.4 | 9.29 | <0.001 |
*Statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between RA with and without serious infection.
†Statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between NIRMD with and without serious infection.
‡The values are presented as mean (SD) unless indicated otherwise.
bDMARDs, Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (includes infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab, golimumab, abatacept, rituximab, tocilizumab, anakinra); BMI, body mass index;HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire;NIRMD, non-inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases;PAS, Patient Activity Scale (Remission/low disease activity ≤3 >3.7 and <8, High activity ≤8).7, Moderate activityRA, rheumatoid arthritis;RDCI, Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index.