Table 3 Baseline characteristics between the patient cohorts before and after implementation of the FTC
Diagnosed during the period 2013–2017 | Diagnosed after the implementation of FTC | P values | |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of patients | 254 | 56 | |
Age (years) mean ± SD | 71.60 ± 8.04 | 71.79 ± 6.6 | 0.861 |
Gender (female) | 57.9%% | 48.2% | 0.233 |
Duration of symptoms (weeks) mean ± SD | 12.30 ± 12.30 | 6.79 ± .72 | 0.001 |
CRP (mg/lt) mean ± SD | 55.10 ± 48.41 | 56,5 ± 37.2 | 0.830 |
Morning stiffness | 94.9% | 92.7% | 0.527 |
Hip pain or limited range of motion | 73.4% | 61.8% | 0.149 |
RF and anti-CCP negative | 95.3% | 100% | 0.133 |
Absence of other joint involvement | 71.3% | 75% | 0.627 |
Initial prednisolone dose (mg) mean ± SD | 18.37 ± 8.33 | 19,2 ± 9.25 | 0.550 |
Hospitalised n(%) | 52 (20.4%) | 2 (3.5%) | 0.001 |
Inpatient days of care mean ± SD | 4.15 ± 3.1 | 1 ± 0 | < 0.00001 |