CRP and rheumatoid arthritis: Compared to baseline, surrogate parameters for measuring disease activity in RA showed statistically significant improvements (ΔcDAI: − 6.27 ± 12.58, 95% CI [− 9.86; − 2.68], p = 0.007; ΔDAS28-CRP: − 0.76 ± 1.36, 95% CI [− 1.15; − 0.37], p = 0.003; ΔCRP: − 0.32 ± 1.04 mg/dl, 95% CI [− 0.62; − 0.02], p = 0.015).