Clinical characteristics of patients with RA.
| Male, n = 25 | Premenopausal Female, n = 19 | Postmenopausal Female, n = 78 | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 61 (12) | 43 (6) | 65 (8) | < 0.001 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 10 (8) | 9 (6) | 14 (9) | 0.035 |
| Morning stiffness > 1 h, % | 16 | 21 | 5 | 0.057 |
| Functional class, % | 0.095 | |||
| I | 38 | 32 | 18 | |
| II | 42 | 47 | 48 | |
| III | 21 | 21 | 31 | |
| IV | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Rheumatoid factor +, % | 75 | 89 | 78 | 0.466 |
| Rheumatoid factor titer* | 79 (24–175) | 78 (21–176) | 46 (18–118) | 0.478 |
| Nodular disease, % | 42 | 37 | 27 | 0.339 |
| Erosive disease, % | 79 | 89 | 82 | 0.704 |
| Sedentary lifestyle, % | 8 | 16 | 29 | 0.061 |
| HAQ 0–3* | 0.9 (0.1–1.6) | 1 (0.3–1.6) | 1.5 (0.9–2.3) | 0.005 |
| DAS28 | 3.8 (1.7) | 5.0 (1.3) | 4.8 (1.4) | 0.012 |
| Current smoker, % | 40 | 10 | 3 | < 0.001 |
| SBP/DBP, mm Hg | 154 (17)/90 (10) | 132 (21)/82 (11) | 156 (23)/86 (9) | < 0.001 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.6 (3.6) | 24.8 (3.5) | 28.6 (4.7) | < 0.001 |
| ESR, mm/h | 25 (20) | 39 (27) | 36 (20) | 0.066 |
| CRP, mg/l | 13 (6–26) | 7 (3–31) | 10 (4–22) | 0.723 |
| Fibrinogen, mg/ml | 5.0 (1.3) | 4.4 (1.3) | 4.7 (1.0) | 0.287 |
| Glucose, mmol/l | 6.0 (1.9) | 5.0 (0.7) | 5.3 (0.8) | 0.006 |
| Creatinine, μ mol/l | 101 (33) | 78 (17) | 82 (19) | < 0.001 |
| Proteinuria, g/24 h* | 0.18 (0.14–0.24) | 0.09 (0–0.13) | 0.11 (0.08–0.16) | < 0.001 |
| Creatinine clearance, ml/h | 69 (22) | 89 (21) | 68 (17) | < 0.001 |
| RA treatment during the study period, % | ||||
| Glucocorticoids | 84 | 68 | 88 | 0.097 |
| Equivalent dose of prednisone, mg/day | 4.1 (2.8) | 3.7 (2.9) | 4.5 (2.3) | 0.422 |
| Methotrexate | 44 | 58 | 54 | 0.606 |
| TNF-α blockers | 0 | 31 | 5 | < 0.001 |
| Other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs | 36 | 26 | 28 | 0.718 |
↵* Variables not normally distributed are expressed as median (interquartile range). Continuous variables are expressed as mean (SD). SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; DAS: Disease Activity Score; TNF: tumor necrosis factor. ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein.