Table 1.
Comparison of rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls on pain and questionnaire responses
| RA patients (n = 19) |
Controls (n = 21) |
P value | |
| Responses to noxious stimuli | |||
| HPTh, °C | 41.4 ± 5.1 | 44.4 ± 4.5 | 0.05 |
| PPTh on leg, kPa | 665.5 ± 287.7 | 811.3 ± 400.1 | 0.19 |
| PPTh on thumb, kPa | 295.7 ± 141.6 | 395.7 ± 150.7 | 0.03 |
| PPTh on trapezius, kPa | 404.5 ± 160.7 | 536.2 ± 276.9 | 0.08 |
| Cold pain rating (0 to 100) at midpoint | 82.3 ± 12.6 | 65.4 ± 25.6 | 0.01 |
| Cold pain rating (0 to 100) at conclusion | 83.0 ± 12.4 | 67.7 ± 24.8 | 0.02 |
| Cold pain tolerance, seconds | 61.8 ± 54.1 | 111.8 ± 63.8 | 0.01 |
| Heat pain rating at 49°C | 74.4 ± 25.1 | 57.7 ± 34.7 | 0.09 |
| Heat pain rating at 51°C | 86.8 ± 16.2 | 68.2 ± 32.4 | 0.03 |
| Painful heat after-sensations | 16.8 ± 23.2 | 5.7 ± 9.4 | 0.05 |
| Questionnaire data | |||
| Current pain (0 to 10) | 3.2 ± 2.3 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | < 0.001 |
| Current stress (0 to 10) | 2.2 ± 2.4 | 1.2 ± 1.9 | 0.17 |
| Beck Depression Inventory score | 7.0 ± 6.3 | 2.5 ± 3.0 | 0.01 |
| SF-36, subscale score | |||
| General health | 52.9 ± 20.3 | 84.0 ± 19.4 | < 0.001 |
| Physical functioning | 42.1 ± 24.2 | 69.1 ± 26.7 | 0.002 |
| Physical role | 28.9 ± 31.5 | 86.9 ± 28.1 | < 0.001 |
| Bodily pain | 44.2 ± 21.3 | 85.7 ± 23.7 | < 0.001 |
| Energy/fatigue | 53.4 ± 18.4 | 67.6 ± 18.1 | 0.02 |
| Mental health | 80.7 ± 13.7 | 81.0 ± 14.5 | 0.95 |
| Emotional role | 84.2 ± 34.0 | 93.7 ± 22.7 | 0.30 |
| Social functioning | 70.4 ± 27.7 | 94.6 ± 7.5 | 0.001 |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. HPTh, heat pain threshold; PPTh, pressure pain threshold; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SF-36, Short Form Health Survey-36.