Baseline characteristics and cardiovascular events in study participants. Results are expressed as mean (SD), median interquartile range, or proportions.
| Characteristic | Controls, n = 62 | Patients with RA without CVD, n = 97 | Patients with RA with CVD, n = 54 | pa | pb | pc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at time of study, yrs | 69.2 (11.4) | 70.5 (9.7) | 70.3 (10.0) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Women | 67.7 | 63.9 | 59.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Prevalence of CVD | ||||||
| Ischemic heart disease | — | — | 50 | — | — | — |
| Cerebrovascular accident | — | — | 48 | — | — | — |
| Peripheral artery disease | — | — | 17 | — | — | — |
| No. CVD events | — | — | 1.2 (0.4) | — | — | — |
| Traditional CVD risk factors | ||||||
| Any | 51.6 | 86.6 | 96.3 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | 0.03 |
| Hypertension | 33.9 | 65.3 | 77.8 | 0.0003 | < 0.0001 | 0.08 |
| Dyslipidemia | 12.9 | 47.4 | 63.0 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | 0.05 |
| Smoking | 21.0 | 28.9 | 51.9 | 0.3 | 0.0007 | 0.006 |
| Diabetes | 21.0 | 16.8 | 35.2 | 0.5 | 0.09 | 0.01 |
| No. risk factors | 0.9 (1.0) | 1.6 (1.0) | 2.3 (1.0) | 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 28.6 (5.3) | 28.5 (5.6) | 28.4 (5.3) | — | — | 0.9 |
| Obesity | 32.3 | 36.7 | 31.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Blood pressure, mmHg | ||||||
| Systolic | — | 141 (22) | 138 (17) | — | — | 0.4 |
| Diastolic | — | 78 (9) | 75 (10) | — | — | 0.05 |
| Lipid variables, mg/dl | ||||||
| Total cholesterol | — | 199 (37) | 192 (38) | — | — | 0.3 |
| LDL cholesterol | — | 118 (30) | 109 (34) | — | — | 0.1 |
| HDL cholesterol | — | 59 (47–73) | 57 (46–65) | — | — | 0.2 |
| Total-HDL cholesterol ratio | — | 3.5 (11) | 3.6 (0.9) | — | — | 0.7 |
| Triglycerides | — | 92 (73–130) | 103 (80–152) | — | — | 0.1 |
| Triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio | — | 1.5 (1.1–2.6) | 1.8 (1.4–2.9) | — | — | 0.05 |
| Chronic kidney disease | — | 8.0 | 13.9 | — | — | 0.6 |
| Cardiovascular drugs | ||||||
| Antihypertensives | — | 65.3 | 77.8 | — | — | 0.08 |
| Statins | — | 38.9 | 57.4 | — | — | 0.02 |
| Glucose-lowering agents | ||||||
| Any | — | 15.1 | 29.6 | — | — | 0.06 |
| Oral hypoglycemic agents | — | 9.7 | 20.4 | — | — | 0.03 |
| Insulin | — | 7.4 | 9.3 | — | — | 0.7 |
| Age at RA onset, yrs | — | 62.4 (13.4) | 57.0 (12.4) | — | — | 0.02 |
| RA disease duration, yrs | — | 6 (2–13) | 8 (3–21) | — | — | 0.1 |
| RF-positive | — | 41.2 | 57.4 | — | — | 0.05 |
| Anti-CCP–positive | — | 35.1 | 44.4 | — | — | 0.3 |
| Extraarticular manifestation(s) | — | 14.4 | 29.6 | — | — | 0.03 |
| Joint erosion(s) in hands and/or feet | — | 22.9 | 27.8 | — | — | 0.5 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | — | 3.0 (1.3–7.0) | 4.7 (2.0–11.0) | — | — | 0.03 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, mm/h | — | 14 (6–25) | 20 (9–39) | — | — | 0.01 |
| Disease Activity Score in 28 joints | — | 3.1 (1.4) | 3.2 (1.4) | — | — | 0.7 |
| Clinical Disease Activity Index | — | 7.5 (2.0–12.5) | 5.0 (3.0–12.0) | — | — | 0.6 |
| Antirheumatic agents | ||||||
| Any DMARD | — | 88.5 | 87.0 | — | — | 0.9 |
| Synthetic DMARD | ||||||
| Any | — | 84.5 | 83.3 | — | — | 0.8 |
| Methotrexate | — | 68.0 | 70.4 | — | — | 0.8 |
| Chloroquine | — | 29.9 | 26.9 | — | — | 0.6 |
| Leflunomide | — | 7.2 | 5.7 | — | — | 0.7 |
| Sulfasalazine | — | 3.0 | 6.0 | — | — | 0.5 |
| No. | — | 1.1 (0.6) | 1.1 (0.7) | — | — | 1.0 |
| Biologic DMARD | ||||||
| Any | — | 28.1 | 25.9 | — | — | 0.6 |
| TNF-α inhibitor | — | 14.6 | 11.1 | — | — | 0.6 |
| Non TNF-α inhibitor | — | 13.5 | 14.8 | — | — | 0.8 |
| Prednisone | — | 46.4 | 53.7 | — | — | 0.4 |
↵a p for comparison between controls and patients without CVD.
↵b p for comparison between controls and patients with CVD.
↵c p for comparison between patients without and with CVD. RA: rheumatoid arthritis; CVD: cardiovascular disease; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; CCP: cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; RF: rheumatoid factor.