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Table 2 Demographic and disease characteristics in Norwegian RA patients starting naïve on b/tsDMARDs during 2010–2019

From: Exploring drug cost and disease outcome in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs in Norway in 2010–2019 – a country with a national tender system for prescription of costly drugs

Ten year period

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Mean

Missing Data Mean, Range

P-value

The annual number of patients

 All b/tsDMARDs starters

832

887

875

857

852

946

1671

1342

1068

1475

   

 Naïve starters, N (%)

378 (45%)

424 (48%)

421 (48%)

386 (45%)

356 (42%)

367 (39%)

400 (24%)

418 (31%)

408 (38%)

409 (28%)

39%

  

Demographics

 Age (years)

57 (15)

56 (15)

57 (14)

55 (15)

55 (15)

55 (14)

56 (15)

54 (16)

55 (15)

55 (15)

55

0.3%, 0–2%

0.212

 Female

71%

76%

68%

71%

69%

71%

75%

69%

69%

70%

71%

0.1%, 0–1%

0.152

 BMI (kg/m2)

25 (4.3)

26 (4.3)

26 (4.7)

26 (4.5)

26 (4.7)

26.1 (5.1)

26 (4.5)

26 (5.1)

27 (5.3)

26 (5.3)

26

23%, 11–66%

0.256

 Education (years)

13 (3.7)

12 (3.6)

13 (3.6)

12 (3.9)

13 (3.7)

13 (3.7)

13 (3.9)

12 (3.5)

13 (3.8)

13 (3.7)

13

25%, 18–64%

0.683

 Current Smokers

25%

22%

20%

17%

15%

17%

20%

16%

17%

18%

19%

24%, 17–64%

0.175

 Disease Duration

4.6 (5.6)

7.2 (9.3)

7.8 (9.9)

5.9 (7.9)

6.4 (8.5)

6.4 (9.0)

7.1 (9.4)

5.8 (8.9)

4.9 (7.2)

5.2 (7.0)

6.1

28%, 0–78%

< 0.001

 Enabled Workers

71%

73%

73%

76%

74%

70%

73%

72%

69%

73%

72%

24%, 16–63%

0.922

Disease Activity

 ESR (mm/h)

26 (22) [20 (24)]

26 (22) [20 (23)]

22.6 (20) [16 (21)]

22 (18) [16 (19)]

22.1 (18) [19 (20)]

23 (19) [17 (22)]

22(21) [15 (21)]

22 (18) [17 (21)]

20 (19) [13 (18)]

20 (18) [14 (18)]

23

23%, 15–30%

< 0.001

 CRP (mg/L)

17 (24) [8 (16)]

16.9 (29) [7 (16)]

14.2 (20) [7 (14)]

14 (21) [7 (12)]

15.2 (22) [6 (14)]

11 (14) [6 (11)]

15 (26) [5 (13)]

12.9 (16) [6 (17)]

11 (17) [5 (10)]

12 (18) [5 (13)]

14

16%, 8–26%

< 0.001

    TJC28 (0–28)

8.3 (6.8) [7 (8)]

7.4 (6.6) [5 (9)]

6.5 (5.9) [5 (8)]

5.8 (5.3) [5 (6)]

6.7 (6.0) [5 (8)]

6.4 (5.8) [5 (7)]

5.6 (5.5) [4 (7)]

6.2 (6.2) [4 (7)]

5.3 (5.4) [4 (6)]

5.1 (5.6) [3 (7)]

6.3

13%, 7–21%

< 0.001

 SJC28 (0–28)

6.8 (5.0) [6 (6)]

6.0 (4.9) [5 (6)]

5.4 (4.5) [4 (6)]

4.8 (4.2) [4 (5)]

4.9 (4.5) [4 (6)]

4.8 (4.9) [3 (6)]

4.1 (4.4) [3 (5)]

4.0 (3.9) [3 (5)]

4.0 (4.5) [3 (5)]

3.5 (4.2) [2 (6)]

4.8

13%, 7–21%

< 0.001

 IGA (VAS, 0–100 mm)

39 (18)

40.2 (20)

39.1 (19)

38 (18)

38 (18)

37 (18)

38 (20)

36 (18)

33 (19)

32 (20)

37

32%, 19–45%

< 0.001

 DAS28

5.0 (1.4)

4.6 (1.3)

4.5 (1.3)

4.3 (1.3)

4.5 (1.4)

4.4 (1.5)

4.3 (1.5)

4.3 (1.5)

4.1 (1.4)

3.8 (1.4)

4.4

29%, 19–35%

< 0.001

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

 PGA (VAS, 0–100 mm)

54 (25)

50 (25)

51 (26)

48 (25)

53 (26)

49 (26)

50 (26)

50 (26)

49 (26)

47 (26)

50

13%, 8–21%

0.014

 Pain (VAS, 0–100 mm)

51 (27)

46 (25)

49 (25)

47 (25)

48 (25)

47 (24)

47 (27)

47 (25)

45 (26)

45 (27)

47

22%, 10–57%

0.357

 MHAQ (0–3)

0.7 (0.6)

0.7 (0.5)

0.7 (0.5)

0.6 (0.5)

0.7 (0.5)

0.6 (0.5)

0.6 (0.5)

0.7 (0.5)

0.6 (0.5)

0.6 (0.5)

0.6

18%, 9–39%

0.007

 Fatigue (VAS, 0–100 mm)

50 (29)

48 (30)

49 (29)

46 (30)

51 (30)

50 (30)

46 (31)

49 (30)

48 (30)

48 (33)

49

36%, 17–51%

0.725

 Morning Stiffness (hr)

1.7 (1.5)

1.6 (1.6)

1.6 (1.5)

1.6 (1.6)

1.8 (1.8)

1.5 (1.5)

1.5 (1.6)

1.7 (1.5)

1.3 (1.5)

1.4 (1.4)

1.6

38%, 17–53%

0.040

  1. Note: Categorical variables are presented as percentages and continuous variables as mean with standard deviation (SD). Variables ESR, CRP, TJC28, and SJC28 also show median with interquartile range [Median (Interquartile Range)] below their Mean (SD). Missing data are presented as mean with range. χ2 test for categorical variables and one-way ANOVA for continuous variables was used to test for differences during follow-up of ten years
  2. Occupation Status: Enabled Workers (< 65 years old) = Full Job, Part-time Job, Student, Maternity Leave, Paternity leave, Sick Leave, Unemployed, Early Retirement, Part-time job/Sick Leave, Part-time job/Unemployed), Disabled Workers (< 65 years) = Part-time Job/Disabled Early Retirement, Early Retirement due to Disability, Early Retirement due to RA, Medical Rehabilitation, Occupational Rehabilitation
  3. Abbreviations: RA Rheumatoid Arthritis, b/tsDMARDs biologic and target synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, BMI Body Mass Index, CCP Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, RF Rheumatoid Factor, ESR Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, CRP C-Reactive Protein, TJC28 Tender 28-Joint Count, SJC28 Swollen 28-Joint Count, IGA Investigators Global Assessment, VAS Visual Analog Scale (Measured 0–100), DAS28 Disease Activity Score, LDA Low Disease Activity, PGA Patient Global assessment, MHAQ Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire
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BMC Health Services Research

ISSN: 1472-6963

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