Frequency of Regulatory T Cells is Not Affected by Transient B Cell Depletion Using Anti-CD20 Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Table 1: Characteristics of the Patients

Characteristic	Baseline	6 months	12 months
Age, mean (range) years	48 (28-77)
Female sex, %	88
Disease duration, mean (range) years	11.4 (1-28)
Receiving MTX, %	70.6
RF positivity, %	88
DAS28 score, mean (range)	6.1 (3.6-7.8)	4.1 (3.0-6.9)	4.9 (2.4-7.7)
RF, mean (range) IU/ml	292.7 (17-1,180)	110.5 (12-341)	155.8 (12-617)
ESR, mean (range) mm/hour	28 (12-38)	15 (7-33)	21 (8-46)
CRP, mean (range) mg/dl	3.93 (0.6-10.4)	0.79 (0.03-2.24)	1.6 (0.09-5.9)
	Before therapy	6-8 months	12-16 months
CD19⁺ B cells/μl, mean (range)	77 (43-335)	16 (0-28)	92 (11-132)

MTX = methotrexate; RF = rheumatoid factor; DAS28 = Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP = C-reactive protein; CD19⁺ B cells/μl in peripheral blood; n=17.