Demographic, clinical, laboratory, US, and MR data of patients at baseline. Except where indicated, the values are median (IQR).
| Characteristic | ERA, n = 30 | Non-RA, n = 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Number (men/women) | 0/30 | 5/10 |
| Age, yrs | 51.0 (21.0) | 38.0 (10.0) |
| Disease duration, mo | 5.0 (6.0) | 7.0 (5.0) |
| Tender joint counta* | 8.0 (11.0) | 3.0 (3.0) |
| Swollen joint counta* | 4.0 (6.0) | 1.0 (1.5) |
| ESR, mm/h* | 28.0 (24.0) | 6.0 (8.0) |
| Overall disease activity (VAS) | 60.0 (30.0) | 60.0 (29.0) |
| DAS28* | 5.19 (1.61) | 3.3 (0.8) |
| MRI joint and tendon index* | 22 (15.0) | 3.0 (4.5) |
| MRI joint and tendon counts* | 13.0 (11.0) | 3.0 (4.5) |
| RF (positive/negative) | 21/9 | 3/12 |
| ACPA (positive/negative) | 24/6 | 1/14 |
| US (GS) joint and tendon index* | 10.0 (14.0) | 2.0 (7.0) |
| US (GS) joint and tendon counts* | 7.0 (9.0) | 2.0 (5.0) |
| US (GS-PD) joint and tendon index* | 11.0 (18.0) | 2.0 (8.0) |
| US (GS-PD) joint and tendon counts* | 8.0 (11.0) | 2.0 (5.5) |
| ACR/EULAR* | 5.0 (2.0) | 2.0 (0.5) |
Mann-Whitney U test used for paired comparisons.
↵* p < 0.05.
↵a from 28-joint count. Greyscale, greyscale plus power Doppler, and MRI indices for each joint or tendon region were obtained by adding the left and right scores. US counts were calculated after converting region grades to binary variables. ACPA: anticitrullinated protein antibody; ACR/EULAR: score for RA according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria; DAS28: 28-joint Disease Activity Score; ERA: early rheumatoid arthritis; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; GS: greyscale ultrasound; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; PD: power Doppler ultrasound; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; RF: rheumatoid factor; US: ultrasound; VAS: visual analog scale.