Table 1 Patient and disease characteristics at baseline

Sex, % women

88.2

Age, years

46.9 [24-72] ± 10.8

Provenance, % urban/rural

74.5/25.5

Education level

Analphabet, %

68.6

High level school, %

3.9

Comorbidity, %

18.6

Disease duration, weeks

24 [6-48] ± 13.9

Referral to specialist delay, days

140 [7-420] ± 100

Stiffness duration, mn

138 [15-360] ± 76

Extraarticular manifestations, %

1.8

ESR, mm/hour

57.2 [5-115] ± 25.8

CRP, mg/liter

26.8 [0-96] ± 22

RF positivity, %

62.5

Antibody positivity, %

7.8

ACPA positivity, %

56.6

HLA-DRB1*04, %

45.1

HLA-DRB1*01, %

11.8

Patient global assessment (0-10)

3.4 [0-8] ± 1.6

Physician global assessment (0-10)

6.2 [1-10] ± 1.7

Patient pain assessment (0-10)

6.6 [1-10] ± 1.8

Tender joint count (0-28)

20.4 [8-48] ± 10.1

Swollen joint count (0-28)

9.6 ± 6.5

HAQ (0-3)

2.2 [0.7-3] ± 0.6

Presence at least of one erosion, %

27.5

Total SVDH score

1 (0-5)*

Erosion score

0 (0-1)*

Joint space narrowing score

1 (0-3)*

Treatment received

Corticosteroids, %

35.3

DMARD, %

7.8