Demography, treatment schedules and disease activity parameters before and after vaccination in RA patients
| RA patients before vaccine | RA patients after vaccine | |
|---|---|---|
| n (%) | 340(100) | – |
| Female n (%) | 295 (86.8) | – |
| RF positivity, n (%) | 249 (72.8) | |
| Age, years | 55.8 (11.5) | – |
| Disease duration, years | 16.7 (10.4) | – |
| DAS28–ESR | 3.66 (1.35) | 3.49 (1.36)* |
| No of tender joints | 3.7(4.8) | 3.7 (5.4) |
| No of swollen joints | 4.4 (4.6) | 3.0 (3.87)* |
| ESR, mm/h | 20.7 (20.2) | 20.6 (20.2) |
| CRP, mg/dl | 12.1 (18.2) | 12.7 (18.0) |
| PGHA, 0–100 mm | 37.9 (26.6) | 36.9 (27.4) |
| Pain, VAS 0–100 mm | 38.3 (27.0) | 37.5 (28.2) |
| Treatment | ||
| Corticosteroids, n (%) | 247 (72.6) | – |
| Dose of corticosteroids, mg/day | 8.6 (5.2) | – |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 215 (63.2) | – |
| Methotrexate, mg/week | 19.2 (5.6) | – |
| Leflunomide, 20 mg/day, n (%) | 146 (42.9) | – |
| Chloroquine, n (%) | 124 (36.5) | – |
| Anti-TNF agents, n (%) | 47 (13.8) | – |
Data are expressed as mean ( SD) unless otherwise specified.
Anti-TNF agents, adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept; medications prescribed to less than 10% of the patients were not included.
↵* p <0.05.
CRP, C-reactive protein; DAS28, 28-joint disease activity score; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; PGHA, patient global health assessment; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; VAS, visual analogue scale.