Table 1.
Characteristics of the early symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients with and without anti-cyclic-citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies
| Anti-CCP-negative (n = 228) | Anti-CCP-positive (n = 226) | |
| Female [n (%)] | 147 (64%) | 150 (66%) |
| Age at inclusion (mean ± standard deviation) | 57 ± 17 | 55 ± 16 |
| Morning stiffness | ||
| No [n (%)] | 30 (13%) | 30 (13%) |
| Yes (min) (mean ± standard deviation) | 118 ± 138 | 123 ± 128 |
| Type of initial joint symptoms [n (%)]a | ||
| Pain | 208 (91%) | 205 (91%) |
| Swelling | 146 (64%) | 135 (60%) |
| Stiffness | 106 (46%) | 85 (38%) |
| Function loss | 64 (28%) | 57 (25%) |
| Redness or increased surface temperature of joints | 19 (8%) | 26 (12%) |
| Localization of initial joint symptoms [n (%)] | ||
| Small joints of hands and/or feet | 105 (46%) | 112 (50%) |
| Large joints | 54 (24%) | 50 (22%) |
| Both small and large joints | 63 (28%) | 59 (26%) |
| Unknown | 6 (2%) | 5 (2%) |
| Localization of initial joint symptoms [n (%)] | ||
| Upper limbs | 114 (50%) | 86 (38%)* |
| Lower limbs | 72 (32%) | 77 (34%) |
| Both upper and lower limbs | 25 (11%) | 45 (20%)* |
| Unknown | 18 (8%) | 18 (8%) |
| Localization of initial joint symptoms [n (%)] | ||
| Symmetric | 145 (64%) | 130 (58%) |
| Asymmetric | 71 (31%) | 83 (37%) |
| Unknown | 10 (4%) | 13 (6%) |
| VAS patients' rated global disease activity (0–100) | 51.3 ± 39.9 | 46.7 ± 28.2 |
| HAQ score (mean ± standard deviation) | 1.0 ± 0.7 | 1.0 ± 0.7 |
VAS, visual analogue scale. HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire.
aPatients can have both swelling and pain at the start of the symptoms and therefore the total can add to more than 100%.
* P < 0.05, anti-CCP-positive versus anti-CCP-negative.