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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Rheumatol. 2010 Oct 15;38(1):29–35. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.100346

Table 3.

Characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis subjects and association with metabolic syndrome

Characteristic RA (n=232) Odds ratio (95% CI)
Adjusted for age, sex and RA duration
p-value
Age, years, median (IQR) 58 (50, 68) 1.5 (1.2, 1.9) <0.001
per 10 years
Female, n (%) 174 (75) 1.1 (0.6, 2.2) 0.81
RA duration, years, median (IQR) 7.0 (4.1, 12.8) 0.7 (0.5, 1.2) 0.23
per 10 years
RF positive, n (%) 159 (69) 1.2 (0.6, 2.2) 0.60
ACPA positive, n (%) 92 (40) 1.0 (0.5, 1.7) 0.90
CRP, mg/L, median (IQR) 2.1 (0.8, 4.6) 1.0 (0.95, 1.04) 0.85
Interleukin 6, pg/mL, median (IQR) 2.3 (1.4, 4.4) 1.0 (0.97, 1.03) 0.95
Uric Acid, mg/dL, median (IQR) 4.8 (4.0, 5.8) 1.6 (1.3, 2.1) <0.001
Erosions/destructive changes on radiographs, n (%) 119 (51) 0.8 (0.5, 1.5) 0.54
HAQ score, median (IQR) 0.4 (0.0, 0.8) 3.2 (1.9, 5.7) <0.001
History of large joint swelling 177 (76) 2.5 (1.2, 5.3) 0.02
Medication usage, n (%)*
 Methotrexate 131 (56) 1.1 (0.6, 2.0) 0.69
 Hydroxychloroquine 75 (32) 0.9 (0.5, 1.6) 0.69
 Other DMARDs 25 (11) 1.6 (0.6, 3.7) 0.33
 Biologics 38 (16) 1.2 (0.6, 2.6) 0.59
 Glucocorticoids (systemic) 59 (25) 1.0 (0.6, 2.0) 0.89
 NSAIDs 140 (60) 0.7 (0.4, 1.2) 0.17
*

At time of study visit. Systemic glucocorticoids included either oral or intravenous forms (e.g., prednisone, methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone). Other DMARDs included sulfasalazine, lleflunomide, azathioprine. Biologics included tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, anakinra, abatacept, rituximab

RA = rheumatoid arthritis; CI= confidence interval; RF = rheumatoid factor; CCP = cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; CRP= C-reactive protein; IQR = interquartile range; HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire; DMARDs = disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, NSAIDs = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs