2.3.1. General clinical information
Rheumatoid Arthritis, X-ray stage, X-ray stage I, ±, malignancy, ≤, proteinuria, allergy, RA
INFECTIOUS DISEASES, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DISEASE, GASTROINTESTINAL ULCER, ALLERGY, INTERSTITIAL PULMONARY FIBROSIS, PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, DISEASE, DISEASES
Ninety-nine patients with RA treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2021 to 2022 were selected for the study. Among them, 18 cases were men, and 81 cases were women. Their age ranged from 24 to 75 years, with an average age of 56.34 ± 12.80 years. Disease duration ranged from 7 months to 11 years, with an average disease duration of 5.21 ± 2.74 years. Inclusion criteria comprised: patients aged 18 to 60 years; patients that met the diagnostic criteria of active RA according to Chinese Guidelines for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment (2018 edition); patients diagnosed for the first time, patients who did not receive formal drug treatment after diagnosis, or patients who received formal treatment but stopped taking drugs for more than 3 months; and patients with 2.6 ≤ Disease Activity Score using 28 joint counts <5.1, joint function classification of I to III, and X-ray stage I to III of both hands.Exclusion criteria were: patients aged <18 years or >60 years; patients with grade IV joint function and/or X-ray stage IV of both hands; patients with a history of hormone and/or biological treatment within 1 month; patients with severe cardiac, hepatic, renal, or another important organ insufficiency; patients with other serious diseases, such as malignancy, active gastrointestinal ulcer, and infectious diseases; patients with severe extra-articular manifestations, such as peripheral neuropathy, proteinuria, and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis; and patients with allergy to the drug of our study.