Characteristics of the bDMARD-exposed and csDMARD matched rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient populations at the time of matching
| bDMARD-exposed RA N=19 727 | csDMARD-matched RA N=19 727 | |
| Sex (women) | 14 722 (74.63%) | 14 722 (74.63%) |
| Age (years) | 52.24 (42.19–61.13) | 51.16 (40.94–60.72) |
| RA disease duration (years) | 2.20 (1.08–5.15) | 1.86 (0.77–4.85) |
| Comorbidities | ||
| Hypertension | 3349 (16.98%) | 2951 (14.96%) |
| Diabetes | 2438 (12.36%) | 2261 (11.46%) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 1169 (5.93%) | 1273 (6.45%) |
| Smoking-related comorbidities | 2504 (12.69%) | 2629 (13.33%) |
| Alcohol-related comorbidities | 409 (2.07%) | 427 (2.16%) |
| Weighted Charlson’s Comorbidity Index | ||
| 0 | 13 216 (66.99%) | 13 280 (67.32%) |
| 1–3 | 6361 (32.25%) | 6302 (31.95%) |
| ≥4 | 150 (0.76%) | 145 (0.74%) |
| Full health expense coverage due to low income | 1207 (6.12%) | 1239 (6.28%) |
| RA therapeutic history | ||
| No of hospital stays for RA in the previous year | 0.18 (0.54) | 0.12 (0.47) |
| No of csDMARDs received before matching | ||
| 0–1 | 14 617 (74.09%) | 14 185 (71.91%) |
| 2 | 3842 (19.48%) | 4152 (21.05%) |
| ≥3 | 1268 (6.43%) | 1390 (7.05%) |
| Previous/ongoing csDMARDs | ||
| Methotrexate | 13 860 (70.26%) | 15 844 (80.32%) |
| Leflunomide | 3554 (18.02%) | 3011 (15.26%) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 2340 (11.86%) | 4797 (24.32%) |
| csDMARDs duration before matching (years) | 0.80 (0.16–1.71) | 0.96 (0.37–1.92) |
| Cumulative corticosteroids dose in the previous year (mg) | 154.60 (175.14) | 149.65 (177.12) |
| Cumulative corticosteroids dose from 1 January 2007 to matching (mg) | 292.68 (393.18) | 265.03 (358.55) |
Data are number (%) or median (IQR), unless indicated.
bDMARD, biological DMARD; csDMARD, conventional synthetic DMARD; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic agents.