Baseline characteristics of patients with facial nerve palsy compared to all patients without the event
| Parameter | No facial nerve palsy during follow-up | Facial nerve palsy during follow-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main analysis | Sensitivity analysis | ||
| No. of patients | 14 163 | 19 | 12 |
| Age (years) | 57.7 (12.8) | 61.4 (13.0) | 61.6 (14.3) |
| Women | 10 572 (74.6%) | 11 (57.9%) | 9 (75.0%) |
| Disease duration (years) | 9.3 (8.8) | 11.6 (9.8) | 9.9 (7.0) |
| RF or ACPA positive | 10 269 (73.2%) | 16 (84.2%) | 9 (75.0%) |
| No. of prior bDMARDs | 0.5 (1) | 1.3 (1.2) | 1.4 (1.4) |
| Joint erosions | 6564 (48.8%) | 11 (68.8%) | 5 (55.6%) |
| DAS28-ESR | 4.8 (1.3) | 5.0 (1.4) | 4.6 (1.1) |
| ESR (mm/hour) | 28.1 (22.2) | 32.5 (23.1) | 24.6 (14.8) |
| CRP (mg/L) | 14.0 (20.1) | 15.7 (15.5) | 13.1 (16.6) |
| % of full physical function | 65.9 (23.2) | 57.6 (26.2) | 57.7 (28.3) |
| Concomitant glucocorticoid treatment | 10 818 (76.5%) | 16 (84.2%) | 9 (75.0%) |
| Actual glucocorticoid dose (mg/day) | 8.8 (8.7) | 9.5 (9.1) | 10.2 (11.4) |
| Ever smoked | 7689 (57.3%) | 10 (52.6%) | 6 (50.0%) |
| Sjögren’s syndrome | 170 (1.2%) | 1 (5.3%) | 0 |
| No. of comorbidities | 2.3 (2.2) | 4.2 (3.8) | 3.9 (4.0) |
ACPA, anti-citrullinated protein antibody; bDMARDs, biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; CRP, C reactive protein; DAS28-ESR, the 28-joint disease activity score incorporating erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RF, rheumatoid factor.