Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the patients.*
| Characteristic | Early SSc (n = 13) | Late SSc (n = 11) | P† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± s.d. disease duration, years | 2·0 ± 0·7 | 7·4 ± 2·0 | <0·001 |
| Mean ± s.d. age, years | 56·9 ± 10·2 | 50·3 ± 12·2 | 0·171 |
| Gender, no. female/male | 11/2 | 7/4 | 0·237 |
| Race, no. Caucasian/African American/other | 11/1/1 | 7/4/0 | 0·170 |
| Patient global assessment ± s.d. | 37·5 ± 27·7 | 37·8 ± 20·9 | 0·978 |
| Physician's global assessment ± s.d. | 41·4 ± 22·0 | 49·3 ± 20·1 | 0·368 |
| Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) ± s.d. | 1·2 ± 0·6 | 1·3 ± 0·6 | 0·536 |
| Pain visual analogue scale ± s.d. | 31·6 ± 24·4 | 34·5 ± 23·2 | 0·764 |
| Modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS) ± s.d. | 25·1 ± 6·3 | 28·3 ± 8·4 | 0·311 |
| Leucocyte count ± s.d., thousands per microlitre | 7·2 ± 2·2 | 8·3 ± 2·5 | 0·271 |
| Lymphocytes, % ± s.d. | 23·9 ± 6·8 | 26·9 ± 8·4 | 0·379 |
| Monocytes, % ± s.d. | 5·9 ± 3·1 | 5·2 ± 2·4 | 0·508 |
| Neutrophils, % ± s.d. | 66·7 ± 9·6 | 64·5 ± 10·8 | 0·624 |
*
There was no difference between these groups of patients in weight (P = 0.484); total cholesterol (P = 0.807); haematocrit (P = 0.119); creatinine (P = 0.372); haemoglobin (P = 0.189); forced vital capacity % predicted (P = 0.295); forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted (P = 0.928); diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide % predicted (P = 0.266); systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P = 0.775 and P = 0.286, respectively); and Short Form 36 physical, mental and index (P = 0.426, P = 0.469 and P = 0.998, respectively).
†
The significance of difference was calculated with χ2 and unpaired two-tailed t-tests for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. S.d.: standard deviation.