Table 2. Characteristics of the study group of rheumatoid arthritis patients (overall and divided by presence of NSAID in therapy).
| Overall | NSAID yes | NSAID no | p value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 73 | 48 | 25 | - | |||
| Age (years) | 60±12.5 | 59.4±13.2 | 61.2±11.1 | 0.569 | |||
| Gender (female) | 68/73 (93.2%) | 44/48 (91.7%) | 24/25 (96%) | 0.655 | |||
| Duration of RA (years) | IQR (4.3-20) | 7.8 IQR (4.4-19) | 11 IQR (4.3-21) | 0.412 | |||
| DAS28 | 6.1 IQR (4.9-6.9) | 6.3 IQR (5-7) | 6 IQR (4.6-6.7) | 0.167 | |||
| HAQ | 2.1 IQR (1.6-2.8) | 2.1 IQR (1.6-2.8) | 2.1 IQR (1.8-2.5) | 0.926 | |||
| Pain NRS | 5.4±1.9 | 5.7±1.7 | 5±2.2 | 0.145 | |||
| DMARD | 37/73 (50.7%) | 27/48 (56.3%) | 10/25 (40%) | 0.188 | |||
| NSAID | 48/73 (65.8%) | - | - | - | |||
| GC | 59/73 (80.8%) | 35/48 (72.9%) | 24/25 (96%) | 0.026* | |||
| NSAID + GC | 35/73 (47.9%) | - | - | - | |||
| GI symptoms | 17/73 (23.3%) | 15/48 (31.3%) | 2/25 (8%) | 0.026* | |||
| Risk factors for GI side effects | 2 IQR (1-2) | 2 IQR (1-2) | 2 IQR (1-2) | 0.190 | |||
| GI ulcer | 12/73 (16.4%) | 8/48 (16.7%) | 4/25 (16%) | 1.000 | |||
| Anticoagulant therapy | 4/73 | (5.5%) | 2/48 (4.2%) | 2/25 (8%) | 0.603 | ||
| Serious systemic disease | 6/73 | (8.2%) | 4/48 (8.3%) | 2/25 (8%) | 1.000 | ||
| H. pylori infection | 1/73 | (1.4%) | 1/48 (2.1%) | 0/25 (0%) | 1.000 | ||
| Smoking | 9/73 | (12.3%) | 5/48 (10.4%) | 4/25 (16%) | 0.482 | ||
| Alcohol | 1/73 | (1.4%) | 1/48 (2.1%) | 0/25 (0%) | 1.000 | ||
| ASA | 13/73 (17.8%) | 9/48 (18.8%) | 4/25 (16%) | 1.000 | |||
| High dose or multiple NSAIDs | 3/73 | (4.1%) | 3/48 (6.3%) | 0/25 (0%) | 0.547 | ||
| GI risk score | 5 IQR (3-6) | 4,5 IQR (2.8-6) | 5 IQR (3-7) | 0.180 | |||
| PPI in therapy | 31/73 (42.5%) | 19/48 (39.6%) | 12/25 (48%) | 0.490 | |||
NSAID = non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA = rheumatoid arthritis; DAS28 = Disease Activity Score; HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire; NRS = Numerical Rating Scale; DMARD = Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs; GC = glucocorticoids; GI = gastrointestinal; H. pylori = Helicobacter pylori; ASA = acetylsalicylic acid; PPI = proton pump inhibitor; *there was a statistically significant difference in the presence of GC in therapy and presence of GI (χ2-test, p<0.05)