Table 2 Comparisons between disease control status during 6–12 months and cumulative dose of MTX, improved DAS28 area, and index R for 0–3 and 0–6 months after the start of MTX administration between the good and poor control groups
|  | Disease control status during 6–12 months | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
|  | Good (n = 7) | Poor (n = 14) | |
0–3 months after the start of MTX administration | |||
 Cumulative dose of MTX (mg) | 96.0 (94.0–116.0) | 118.0 (100.0–124.0) | 0.322 |
 Improved DAS28 area | 25.4 (24.5–26.1) | 23.4 (22.6–24.5) | 0.004 |
 Index R (1/mg) | 0.25 (0.22–0.27) | 0.20 (0.19–0.24) | 0.079 |
0–6 months after the start of MTX administration | |||
 Cumulative dose of MTX (mg) | 192.0 (166.0–212.0) | 214.0 (196.0–220.0) | 0.287 |
 Improved DAS28 area | 51.0 (49.7–52.2) | 47.6 (45.1–48.4) | 0.001 |
 Index R (1/mg) | 0.26 (0.24–0.30) | 0.22 (0.21–0.24) | 0.025 |