Table 2 Median (range) results at 0 and 2 weeks.
| Elemental diet (n = 18) | Prednisolone (n = 9) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | Week 2 | Week 0 | Week 2 | |
| Weight (kg) | 64.0 (38.3–97.2) | 64.2 (38.0–96.9) | 74.9 (54.4–96.5) | 73.9 (55.8–96.5) |
| Duration of morning stiffness (min) | 150 (30–1440) | 105 (5–1440)* | 120 (30–480) | 9 (0–75)* |
| Pain on VAS (cm) | 6.6 (4.6–9.8) | 4.9 (1.7–8.7)* | 4.3 (1.3–7.5) | 2.6 (0.0–5.1)* |
| RAI | 23 (8–72) | 16 (4–68)* | 24 (8–63) | 13 (4–41)* |
| Swollen joint score | 39 (2–88) | 33 (4–94) | 58 (24–118) | 43 (13–81)* |
| HAQ | 2.0 (0.5–3.0) | 1.8 (0.13–3.0)* | 1.9 (1.3–2.5) | 1.4 (0.0–2.4)* |
| Global patient assessment | – | 1 ((−1)–2) | – | 2 (0–2) |
| Global physician assessment | – | 1 (0–2) | – | 2 (0–2) |
| ESR (mm/h) | 63 (3–131) | 59 (6–123) | 60 (20–95) | 15 (5–65)* |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 3.3 (0.5–15.0) | 3.6 (0.5–17.7) | 4.3 (2.1–7.0) | 0.5 (0.5–3.3)* |
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 11.6 (8.9–14.5) | 11.3 (9.3–14.4) | 11.7 (11.0–14.9) | 12.1 (10.9–15.2)* |
| White cell count (×109/l) | 9.3 (5.1–13.8) | 8.8 (5.4–16.7) | 7.5 (4.7–9.6) | 10.8 (6.6–16.8)* |
| Platelets (×109/l) | 387 (195–573) | 395 (206–698) | 295 (172–604) | 297 (147–511) |
| Rheumatoid factor (titre) | 0.001955 (0–0.25) | 0.002345 (0–0.125) | 0.00156 (0–0.25) | 0.00313 (0–0.125) |
| IgA (g/dl) | 3.5 (2–9) | 3.5 (2–5) | 3 (1–8) | 3 (1–9) |
| IgG (g/dl) | 14 (5–23) | 14 (9–26) | 12 (10–16) | 11 (8–14) |
| IgM (g/dl) | 1.5 (1–6) | 1.5 (1–7) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (1–2) |
CRP, C‐reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; RAI, the Ritchie articular index; VAS, visual analog scale.
*p<0.05.