Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the RHYTHM full cohort and subset
| Characteristic | Full cohort Baseline (n = 158) | Longitudinal Subset at baseline (n = 60) | Longitudinal Subset at follow-up (n = 60) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||
| Age | 54 ± 12 | 53 ± 11 | 57 ± 12 |
| Female | 131 (84) | 49 (82) | 49 (82) |
| Race/ethnicity | (150) | ||
| White | 54 (36) | 24(40) | |
| Black | 27 (18) | 10 (17) | |
| Hispanic | 62 (41.3) | 24 (40) | |
| Other | 7 (4.67) | 2 (3.3) | |
| RA characteristics | |||
| Disease duration (years) | 10.7 ± 11.9 | 8.3 ± 9.6 | ND |
| RF or anti-CCP (% positive) | 107 (73.3) | 41 (69.5) | ND |
| CDAI | 17.5 ± 12.4 | 16.7 ± 12.3 | 13.6 ± 12 |
| DAS28-CRP | 3.71 ± 1.36 | 3.26 ± 1.1 | 3.1 ± 1.3** |
| CRP per mg/liter | 5.1 ± 7.5 | 6.1 ± 9.4 | 7.1 ± 18.8* |
| IL-6 (log) per mg/liter | 1.1 ± 1.2 | 1.2 ± 1.1 | 0.84 ± 1.1* |
| BNP per pg/mL | 21.8 ± 17.8 | 21.7 ± 20.6 | ND |
| Troponin-I (pg/mL) | 1.08 ± 1.56 | 0.90 ± 1.3 | ND |
| Galectin-3 (ng/mL) | 9.56 ± 4.86 | 9.64 ± 5.6 | ND |
| RA medication | |||
| No DMARDs | 15 (9.6) | 3 (5) | 8 (13) |
| MTX | 102 (65) | 46 (77) | 25 (42)** |
| Targeted DMARDs | 64 (41) | 25 (42) | 35 (58) |
| TNF inhibitor | 45 (29) | 19 (30) | 21 (35) |
| Prednisone | 47 (30.1) | 15 (25) | 4 (7.3) |
| CV risk factors | |||
| Current smoker | 16 (10.3) | 6 (10) | 4 (7.1) |
| Ever smoker | 60 (38.7) | 22 (36.7) | ND |
| SBP mm/Hg | 118 ± 16.7 | 116 ± 16.8 | 124 ± 17.0** |
| BP medications | 53 (34) | 12 (20) | 13 (23) |
| Statin | 23 (14.7) | 12 (20) | 13 (22.8) |
| Total cholesterol | 194 ± 37.9 | 187 ± 33 | 186.3 ± 30.8 |
| LDL | 112 ± 33.1 | 107.2 ± 29.9 | 103.6 ± 27.5 |
| Diabetesa | 13 (7.9) | 4 (7.4) | 8 (14.3) |
| LV structure parameters | |||
| LVMI g/m2.7 | 29.2 ± 5.06 | 28.4 ± 4.89 | 28.3 ± 4.79 |
| EDVI mL/m2 | 47.2 ± 11.0 | 50.4 ± 11.4 | 47.7 ± 10.2 |
| ESVI mL/m2 | 17.7 ± 5.06 | 19.2 ± 5.66 | 18.9 ± 4.88 |
| RWT | 0.34 ± 0.09 | 0.32 ± 0.086 | 0.40 ± 0.087** |
| LVM/EDV | 1.33 ± 0.24 | 1.24 ± 0.22 | 1.32 ± 0.21* |
| PET/CT cardiac measures | |||
| CAC score | |||
| 0 | 106 (67.9) | 44 | 32 (58.2) |
| ≥ 100 | 27 (17.2) | 10 | 15 (27.3) |
| Mean myocardial SUV, mean | 2.54 ± 2.04 | 2.7 ± 2.2 | ND |
| Max myocardial SUV, mean | 3.95 ± 3.29 | 4.5 ± 3.6 | ND |
| Myocardial flow reserve | 2.92 ± 0.69 | 2.87 ± 0.62 | ND |
Continuous values are expressed as mean ± SD and categorical values are expressed as n (%)
Italicized numbers (n) in parenthesis adjacent to % refer to number of patients who are reporting on that category
ND, not done; LVMI, left ventricular mass index; EDVI, end-diastolic volume index; ESVI, end-systolic volume index; RWT, relative wall thickness
*p < 0.05 **p < 0.01 comparing baseline subset (n = 64) vs follow-up subset (n = 64)
aDiabetes was defined as a fasting serum glucose level of ≥ 126 mg/dl or use of antidiabetic medications