Characteristics in 34 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Age at time of study, yrs | 57 (46–65) |
| Age at disease onset, yrs | 42 (37–55) |
| Female sex | 73.5 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | |
| Current smoking | 8.8 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 24.1 (22.6–28.9) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 120 (100–130) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 75 (70–80) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 198 (171–212) |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dl | 62 (56–72) |
| LDL cholesterol, mg/dl | 106.5 (90–122) |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l | 102 (87–121) |
| Glucose, mg/dl | 88 (78–97) |
| Insulin, μU/ml | 13.0 (8.6–19.3) |
| HOMA-IR, μU.mmol/ml.l | 2.9 (1.9–4.2) |
| Framingham score | 2 (1–5) |
| Cardiovascular agents | |
| Antihypertensives | 23.5 |
| Statins | 14.7 |
| Glucose lowering agents | 2.9 |
| RA characteristics | |
| Disease duration, years | 12 (5–16) |
| Rheumatoid factor–positive | 91.2 |
| Disease activity score in 28 joints | 4.3 (3.3–5.1) |
| Tender joints, n | 3 (1–6) |
| Swollen joints, n | 3 (2–7) |
| VAS patient disease activity, mm | 40 (25–50) |
| Cumulative prednisone use, g | 27.5 (10.6–48.3) |
| Systemic inflammation | |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, mm/hour | 27 (14–39) |
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | 5.5 (4.0–23.4) |
| Adipokines | |
| Adiponectin, ng/ml | 15,683 (10,830–26,180) |
| Resistin, ng/ml | 18.8 (14.8–26.8) |
| Leptin, ng/ml | 10.7 (5.3–19.4) |
| Ghrelin, pg/ml | 861.2 (700.5–979.9) |
| Endothelial activation molecules | |
| E-selectin at time 0 min, ng/ml | 46.5 (33.5–67.4) |
| E-selectin at time 120 min, ng/ml | 44.7 (28.0–66.2) |
| P-selectin at time 0 min, ng/ml | 217.7 (133.1–315.5) |
| P-selectin at time 120 min, ng/ml | 175.0 (96.9–248.1) |
| VCAM-1 at time 0 min, ng/ml | 1015.5 (882.0–1317.0) |
| VCAM-1 at time 120 min, ng/ml | 1009.5 (842.0–1230.0) |
| ICAM-1 at time 0 min, ng/ml | 351.0 (288.4–409.9) |
| ICAM-1 at time 120 min, ng/ml | 329.2 (257.3–380.4) |
| ICAM-3 at time 0 min, ng/ml | 53.9 (48.6–65.2) |
| ICAM-3 at time 120 min, ng/ml | 51.0 (42.8–62.1) |
| Carotid atherosclerosis, n = 27 | |
| Intima-media thickness, mm | 0.82 (0.59–1.02) |
| Plaque | 40.7 |
| OPG at time 0 min, pmol/l | 4.8 (2.8–6.5) |
| OPG at time 120 min, pmol/l | 4.4 (2.9–6.1) |
Continuous and categorical variables are expressed as median (interquartile range) and proportions, respectively. HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; HOMA-IR: homeostasis model of insulin resistance; VAS: visual analog scale; VCAM: vascular cell adhesion molecule; ICAM: intercellular adhesion molecule; OPG: osteoprotegerin.