Baseline characteristics in groups with and without damage and with and without repair
| No damage (n=169) | Damage, no repair (n=303) | Damage, repair (n=17) | Pα | Pβ | |
| Demographic | |||||
| Age, mean (SD)* | 51.4 (13.5) | 55.7 (13.6) | 53.4 (48.2–70.0) | <0.001 | 0.917 |
| Gender, male, n (%)† | 54 (32) | 99 (32.7) | 11 (64.7) | 0.85 | 0.823 |
| Smoking, n (%)† | 59 (35.1) | 104 (34.4) | 8 (47.1) | 1.00 | 0.289 |
| BMI, mean (SD)* | 26.6 (4.4) | 25.7 (3.90) | 25.1 (4.38) | 0.02 | 0.555 |
| Randomisation arm, n (%)† | 0.69 | 0.173 | |||
| Sequential monotherapy | 45 (26.6) | 70 (23.1) | 7 (41.2) | ||
| Step-up combination therapy | 46 (21.3) | 74 (24.4) | 5 (29.4) | ||
| Initial combination with prednisone | 41 (24.3) | 81 (26.7) | 4 (23.5) | ||
| Initial combination with infliximab | 47 (27.8) | 78 (25.7) | 1 (5.9) | ||
| Disease-related | |||||
| Symptom duration in days, median (IQR)‡ | 21.9 (13.6–41.7) | 27.0 (13.9–56.3) | 18.9 (15.0–20.4) | 0.13 | 0.012 |
| RF-positive, n (%)† | 86 (50.9) | 217 (71.6) | 14 (82.4) | <0.001 | 0.336 |
| ACPA-positive, n (%)† | 73 (43.7) | 208 (71.5) | 13 (81.3) | <0.001 | 0.397 |
| DAS, mean (SD)* | 4.5 (0.9) | 4.40 (0.84) | 4.48 (0.92) | 0.44 | 0.681 |
| SJC44, median (IQR)‡ | 14 (9–20) | 14 (10–18) | 12 (10–17) | 0.82 | 0.982 |
| RAI, median (IQR)‡ | 13 (9–19) | 13 (9–18) | 13 (11–17) | 0.095 | 0.597 |
| ESR, median (IQR)‡ | 30 (16–45) | 38 (21–59) | 51 (32–72) | <0.001 | 0.116 |
| CRP, median (IQR)‡ | 16 (6–34) | 25 (10–63) | 34 (12–73) | <0.001 | 0.683 |
| Global health, median (IQR)‡ | 53 (45–69) | 50 (37–64) | 50 (34–63) | 0.016 | 0.905 |
| HAQ, median (IQR)‡ | 1.4 (1–1.9) | 1.4 (0.875–1.88) | 1.4 (1–1.63) | 0.73 | 0.712 |
| tSHS, median (IQR)‡ | 0 (0–0) | 2 (0–5) | 2 (0–5) | <0.001 | 0.773 |
Pα: p value for comparison between two groups with damage and without damage, grouping ‘damage, no repair’ and ‘repair’ together.
Pβ: p value for comparison between two groups with repair and without repair, in the patients with damage.
*Student’s t-test (parametric data).
†Pearson χ2 test was applied (binary data).
‡Mann-Whitney-U test (nonparametric data).
ACPA, anticitrullinated peptide antibody; BMI, body mass index; CRP, C reactive protein; DAS, Disease Activity Score; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; RAI, Ritchie Articular Index; RF, rheumatoid factor; SJC44, 44 Swollen Joint Count; tSHS, total Sharp/van der Heijde score.