Baseline demographics and clinical outcomes by LTC group at study recruitment
| RA alone | RA+single LTC | RA+MLTCs | |
| Participants | 563 | 147 | 108 |
| Age (years) | 56.4±13.4 | 63.3±12.6 | 67.6±9.9 |
| Age groups (n) | |||
| 45 and younger | 18.7% (120) | 6.1% (9) | 0% (0) |
| 45–54 | 25.3% (149) | 19.7% (29) | 15.7% (17) |
| 55–64 | 28.3% (153) | 25.2% (37) | 19.4% (21) |
| 65–74 | 19.9% (107) | 29.3% (43) | 43.5% (47) |
| Over 75 | 7.8% (34) | 19.7% (29) | 21.3% (23) |
| Gender (n) | |||
| Male | 30.1% (172) | 36.1% (53) | 47.2% (51) |
| Female | 69.9% (391) | 63.9% (94) | 52.8% (57) |
| SIMD (n) | |||
| 1 (most deprived) | 19.2% (107) | 18.4% (27) | 26.9% (29) |
| 2 | 21.3% (120) | 26.5% (39) | 25.9% (28) |
| 3 | 20.1% (113) | 17.0% (25) | 13.0% (14) |
| 4 | 22.7% (128) | 19.0% (28) | 24.1% (26) |
| 5 (least deprived) | 16.7% (94) | 17.7% (26) | 10.2% (11) |
| Missing | 0.2% (1) | 1.4% (2) | 0.0% (0) |
| HAQ-DI score | 1.21±0.78 | 1.31±0.79 | 1.41±0.84 |
| EQ5D score | 0.53±0.21 | 0.53±0.23 | 0.49±0.24 |
| Employment status* (n) | |||
| Paid work | 59.3% (334) | 39.5% (58) | 26.9% (29) |
| Unpaid work | 4.6% (26) | 3.4% (5) | 1.9% (2) |
| Retired | 29.1% (164) | 49.0% (72) | 66.7% (72) |
| Unemployment | 5.9% (33) | 8.2% (12) | 3.7% (4) |
| Student | 1.1% (6) | 0% (0) | 0.9% (1) |
Data are presented as mean±SD or % (n).
*Paid work includes full-time and part-time employment and self-employed; unpaid work refers to those answered ‘homemaker’.
EQ5D, EuroQol-5 Dimensions; HAQ-DI, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index; LTC, long-term condition; MLTCs, multiple LTCs; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SIMD, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.