Characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and controls.
| Characteristic | RA, n = 152 | Controls, n = 89 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs, median (IQR) | 62.7 (53.6, 71.2) | 55.7 (44.3, 63.1) | < 0.001* |
| Sex female, n (%) | 116 (76.3) | 54 (60.7) | 0.01 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Smoking (ever), n (%) | 97 (63.8) | 56 (62.9) | 0.94 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 134.5 ± 20.1 | 124.8 ± 18.1 | 0.07 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 80.5 ± 9.6 | 76.4 ± 10.5 | 0.14 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 14 (9.2) | 2 (2.2) | 0.12 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.9 ± 5.0 | 25.4 ± 4.0 | 0.25 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 88.4 ± 14.1 | 86.8 ± 12.7 | 0.15 |
| Familial cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 19 (12.5) | 19 (21.3) | 0.08 |
| Cardiovascular disease markers | |||
| Intima-media thickness, mm | 0.8 ± 0.2 | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.39 |
| Patients with carotid plaque, n (%) | 90 (59.2) | 24 (27.0) | < 0.001 |
| No. carotid plaques, median (IQR) | 1 (0, 2) | 0 (0, 1) | < 0.001 |
| Area of carotid plaques, mm2 | 16.5 ± 8.1 | 17.3 + 10.9 | 0.77 |
| Gray-Scale Median value | 89.3 ± 28.1 | 102.6 + 23.1 | 0.12 |
| Lipids | |||
| Total cholesterol, mmol/l | 5.7 ± 1.2 | 5.8 + 1.0 | 0.009 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/l | 1.8 ± 0.6 | 1.7 ± 0.5 | 0.11 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l, median (IQR) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.5) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.5) | 0.43 |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/l | 3.3 ± 1.1 | 3.5 ± 0.9 | 0.02 |
| Inflammatory markers, median (IQR) | |||
| ESR, mm/h | 13.0 (7.3, 21.8) | 8.0 (6.0, 15.0) | 0.21 |
| CRP, mg/l | 4.0 (1.0, 8.0) | 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) | < 0.001 |
| Medication use, n (%) | |||
| Statins | 27 (17.8) | 13 (14.6) | 0.74 |
| Hypertension medications | 56 (36.8) | 18 (20.2) | 0.40 |
| DMARD | 100 (65.85) | ||
| Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors | 32 (21.1) | ||
| Prednisolone | 51 (33.6) | ||
| Methotrexate | 50 (32.9) | ||
| Disease characteristics | |||
| Disease duration, yrs, median (IQR) | 17 (15, 19) | ||
| Rheumatoid factor-positive, n (%) | 77 (50.7) | ||
| ACPA-positive, n (%) | 75 (49.3) | ||
| 28 Tender joint count | 2.3 ± 3.9 | ||
| 28 Swollen joint count | 1.9 ± 2.7 | ||
| Physician VAS, cm | 2.5 ± 1.6 | ||
| Patient VAS, cm | 3.3 ± 2.3 | ||
| DAS28 | 2.6 ± 1.0 | ||
| CDAI | 6.9 ± 6.9 | ||
| SDAI | 7.7 ± 7.3 |
↵Data are means ± SD unless stated otherwise. P values are adjusted for age and sex using analysis of covariance (continuous variables), logistic regression for dichotomous variables, and Poisson regression for counts. Values for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and triglycerides were log-transformed for p value calculation. * Mann-Whitney U test (unadjusted). DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; ACPA: anticitrullinated protein antibodies; VAS: visual analog scale for disease activity; DAS:28: Disease Activity Score based on 28-joint count; IQR: interquartile range; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; CDAI: Clinical Disease Activity Index; SDAI: Simplified Disease Activity Index.