Baseline characteristics of the rheumatoid arthritis patients included in the analysis
| Characteristic | n=848 |
|---|---|
| Demographic | |
| Age (years) (mean±SD) | 58.27±13.71 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 594 (70.0) |
| Smoking (current), n (%) | 232 (27.4) |
| Alcohol consumption (current), n (%) | 477/836 (57.1) |
| Weight (kg), (mean±SD) | 78.14±17.13 |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2), (mean±SD) | 28.25±5.76 |
| Unemployment, n (%) | 55 (6.5%) |
| Clinical | |
| Tender Joints, median (IQR) | 7 (1–11) |
| Swollen joints, median (IQR) | 6 (1–14) |
| Patient’s global assessment (0–100 mm), (mean±SD) | 52.7±27.6 |
| DAS28-ESR, (mean±SD) | 4.95±1.41 |
| DAS28-CRP (mean±SD) | 4.86±1.33 |
| Anxiety baseline (0–21), median (IQR) | 6.0 (3.0–9.0) |
| Anxiety score ≥11, n (%) | 161 (19.0) |
| Depression baseline (0–21), median (IQR) | 5.0 (2.0–8.0) |
| Depression score ≥11, n (%) | 103 (12.2) |
| Laboratory | |
| RF positive, n (%) | 348/541 (64.3) |
| Anti-CCP positive, n (%) | 496/713 (69.6) |
| ESR (mm/hr), (mean±SD) | 31.2±24.3 |
| CRP (mg/l), (mean±SD) | 26.5±35.5 |
| Treatment* | |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 596/699 (85.3) |
| Sulfasalazine, n (%) | 337/699 (48.2) |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 336/699 (48.1) |
| Leflunomide, n (%) | 5/699 (0.71) |
| Steroids, by mouth, n (%) | 61/699 (8.7) |
| Steroids, intramuscularly, n (%) | 515/699 (73.7) |
| Biologic drugs, n (%) | 32/699 (4.6) |
*Treatment received during the 12 months follow-up time. n, number; Kg, kilogram; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; RF, rheumatoid factor; mm, millimetres; hr, hour; CCP, citrullinated peptide; mg, milligrams; l, litre.