Demographic and clinical characteristics. Values are the mean ± SD unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristics | Patients with RA, n = 75 | Control Subjects, n = 75 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 60.7 ± 8.5 | 61.1 ± 6.9 | 0.73 |
| Female sex (%) | 56 (74.6) | 56 (74.6) | 1.00 |
| Weight, kg | 73.7 ± 19.0 | 73.4 ± 19.4 | 0.84 |
| Height, cm | 164.8 ± 8.9 | 163.8 ± 8.9 | 0.42 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 27.0 ± 5.9 | 27.2 ± 6.4 | 0.88 |
| Current smokers (%) | 14 (18.6) | 13 (17.3) | 0.83 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 3 (4.0) | 4 (5.3) | 1.00 |
| Family history of CVD (%) | 12 (16.0) | 14 (18.6) | 0.66 |
| Antihypertensive drugs (%) | 31 (41.3) | 27 (36.0) | 0.50 |
| Lipid-lowering drugs (%) | 26 (34.7) | 24 (32.0) | 0.72 |
| Total cholesterol, g/l | 2.2 ± 0.4 | 2.2 ± 0.3 | 0.43 |
| LDL cholesterol, g/l | 1.3 ± 0.3 | 1.3 ± 0.3 | 0.09 |
| HDL cholesterol, g/l | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.93 |
| Triglycerides, g/l | 1.1 ± 0.5 | 1.1 ± 0.5 | 0.53 |
| Glycemia, g/l | 4.4 ± 1.0 | 4.8 ± 1.2 | < 0.01 |
| Current use of aspirin, % | 7 (9.3) | 5 (6.6) | 0.54 |
| Creatinine clearance, ml/min | 98.2 ± 20.5 | 94.3 ± 16.1 | 0.19 |
| hs-CRP, mg/l | 4.6 ± 6.9 | 3.1 ± 4.4 | 0.48 |
Significant results are indicated in bold face. RA: rheumatoid arthritis; CVD: cardiovascular disease; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; hs-CRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.