Baseline characteristics of study patients
| Sustained MDA (n=104) | Non-sustained MDA (n=60) | No MDA (n=76) | P value | |
| Demographic characteristics | ||||
| Age (years), mean±SD | 51.9±13 | 52.5±14 | 54.3±13 | 0.510 |
| Sex (male), n (%) | 64 (62) | 27 (45) | 31 (41) | 0.013 |
| Symptom duration (months), median (IQR) | 7.6 (4–24) | 7.8 (4–29) | 12.3 (5–46) | 0.107 |
| Disease activity | ||||
| Swollen joint count (66), median (IQR) | 3 (2–6) | 3 (1–5) | 4 (2–8) | 0.136 |
| Tender joint count (68), median (IQR) | 3 (1–6) | 3 (2–8) | 7 (3–13) | <0.001 |
| Psoriasis, n (%) | 85 (84) | 54 (91) | 66 (85) | |
| BSA in case of psoriasis, median (IQR) | 2.5 (1.5–4) | 2.5 (1–6.5) | 4 (2–7) | 0.085 |
| Enthesitis, n (%) | 27 (26) | 28 (44) | 38 (58) | |
| LEI in case of enthesitis, median (IQR) | 1 (1–2) | 2 (1–2) | 2 (1–4) | 0.016 |
| HAQ, median (IQR) | 0.38 (0.13–0.75) | 0.63 (0.50–0.88) | 1.0 (0.63–1.38) | <0.001 |
| Global (VAS), median (IQR) | 30 (14–56) | 45 (26–65) | 58 (42–74) | <0.001 |
| Pain (VAS), median (IQR) | 26 (11–51) | 47 (25–66) | 65 (50–80) | <0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L), median (IQR) | 6 (2–13) | 4 (0–12) | 5 (1–10) | 0.246 |
A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant and is shown in bold.
BSA, Body Surface Area; CRP, C reactive protein; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; LEI, Leeds Enthesitis Index; MDA, Minimal Disease Activity; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale.