Baseline characteristics of 407 patients with RA in groups according to the availability of their radiographs. For all variables, the number of evaluated patients is given. Group 1: patients with radiographs available only at baseline; Group 2: patients with radiographs available at baseline and at 5 years but not at 10 years; Group 3: patients with radiographs available at baseline, 5 and 10 years. No significant differences among the baseline characteristics of the patients of the 3 groups were found (p > 0.05).
| Characteristics | Group 1 (186 Patients) | Group 2 (77 Patients) | Group 3 (144 Patients) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, male, n (%) | 46 (24.7 (186) | 20 (26.0) (77) | 34 (23.6) (144) |
| Female, n (%) | 140 (75.3) (186) | 57 (74.0) (77) | 110 (76.4) (144) |
| Disease duration, mo, mean (SD) | 21.1 (20.6) (186) | 18.9 (20.5) (77) | 20.0 (20.2) (144) |
| Age at disease onset, yrs (range 18–79), mean (SD) | 53.0 (12.5) (186) | 52.8 (13.6) (77) | 51.4 (12.9) (144) |
| Age at baseline, yrs (range 18–79), mean (SD) | 54.7 (14.2) (186) | 54.2 (13.4) (77) | 52.9 (12.7) (144) |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 5.78 (1.09) (186) | 5.93 (1.11) (77) | 5.84 (1.16) (144) |
| ESR, mean (SD) | 48.3 (24.2) (186) | 49.3 (26.9) (77) | 51.1 (28.4) (144) |
| CRP, mean (SD) | 26.9 (28.1) (186) | 26.7 (26.7) (77) | 25.9 (27.4) (144) |
| Anti-CCP positivity, n (%) | 78 (53.8) (145) | 35 (52.2) (67) | 76 (55.9) (136) |
| IgA RF positivity, n (%) | 63 (44.7) (141) | 27 (41.5) (65) | 57 (43.5) (131) |
| IgM RF positivity, n (%) | 96 (51.6) (186) | 38 (49.4) (77) | 72 (50.0) (144) |
| Extraarticular manifestations, n (%) | 93 (50.0) (186) | 40 (51.9) (77) | 70 (48.6) (144) |
| Rheumatoid nodules, n (%) | 13 (7.0) (186) | 5 (6.5) (77) | 10 (6.9) (144) |
| Larsen score, mean (SD) | 15.7 (11.3) (186) | 15.6 (11.7) (77) | 15.3 (11.5) (144) |
DAS28: 28-joint count Disease Activity Score; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; CCP: cyclic citrullinated peptide; RF: rheumatoid factor.