Mean and median baseline ESR in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 23 studies that reported ESR7–29, grouped by years in which patients were recruited.
| Tertile | First year of Recruitment | No. of Inception Cohorts/Total no. of cohorts | Total Period of Recruitment | Period of Publication | ESR, mm/h | Percentage of Patients with RF+* | Age, yrs | Disease Duration, yrs* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (mean) | n > 75% | Median (mean) | n > 55 | Median (mean) | n > 5 | |||||
| 1 | 1954–1980 (7 studies) | 1/7 | 1954–1995 | 1973–2005 | 43–66 | 47 (45–57) | 50 ± 8 | 82 (88) | 5/7 | 55 (56.6) | 4/7 | 8.8 (8.2) | 5/6 |
| 2 | 1981–1984 (8 studies) | 1/8 | 1981–1999 | 1988–2003 | 34–64 | 38 (35–45) | 41 ± 10 | 80 (81.5) | 3/4 | 56.1 (55.6) | 4/8 | 7.1 (9.7) | 6/7 |
| 3 | 1985–1996 (8 studies) | 5/8 | 1985–2000 | 1998–2008 | 27–42 | 36 (28–41) | 35 ± 6 | 77 (78) | 6/8 | 57.5 (56.4) | 5/8 | 0.9 (6.1) | 3/7 |
| 5/8 | |||||||||||||
| Total | 1954–2000 (23 studies) | 7/23 | 1954–2000 | 1973–2008 | 27–66 | 41 (35–47) | 42 ± 10 | 80 (80) | 14/19 | 55.6 (56.2) | 13/23 | 8.3 (8.0) | 14/20 |
↵* Rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity was reported for 19 of 23 cohorts; duration of disease was reported for 20 of 23 cohorts.