Table 1.
Demographic data of study subjects (n = 99)
| Characteristics | Reference value/range | Non-MTX users (n = 32) | MTX users (n = 67) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female | 8/24 | 10/57 | ||
| Age, years | 53.0 (49.0 to 58.0) | 53.0 (50.3 to 57.0) | 0.979 | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 18.5-23.9 | 22.8 (21.6 to 24.4) | 21.8 (21.6 to 23.5) | 0.725 |
| WBC count, cells/mm3 | 5,000-10,000 | 6,400 (5,536 to 6,844) | 5,900 (5,980 to 6,900) | 0.745 |
| Hb, g/dl | 12-16 | 12.9 (11.7 to 13.2) | 12.6 (12.2 to 12.9) | 0.765 |
| Serum creatinine, mg/dl | <1.4 | 0.90 (0.87 to 1.13) | 0.80 (0.79 to 0.87) | 0.222 |
| ALT, IU/L | 0-40 | 15.0 (15.0 to 29.1) | 16.0 (15.3 to 20.0) | 0.976 |
| CRP (mg/dL) | <0.3 | 0.40 (0.53 to 1.65) | 0.22 (0.52 to 1.75) | 0.161 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | <140 | 130.0 (123.4 to 133.8) | 129.0 (114.7 to 142.2) | 0.634 |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | <90 | 80.0 (76.2 to 82.3) | 79.0 (65.8 to 92.7) | 0.732 |
| Disease duration, years | 14.1 (11.5 to 16.8) | 12.0 (11.3 to 15.0) | 0.456 | |
| Disease activity, HAQ | 0.187 (0.11 to 0.80) | 0.125 (0.20 to 0.49) | 0.917 | |
| Physical activity, h/week | 0.00 (0.37 to 3.85) | 0.50 (1.14 to 2.41) | 0.552 | |
| Methotrexate: | ||||
| Weekly dose, mg | NA | 12.5 (10.5 to 12.5) | ||
| Duration, months | NA | 36.0 (45.8 to 77.8) | ||
| Prednisolone users/total: | 24/32 (75%) | 64/67 (95.5%) | ||
| Weekly dose, mg | 43.7 (35.0 to 48.7) | 35.0 (38.9 to 55.3) | 0.167 | |
| Duration, months | 34.0 (32.6 to 105.8) | 48.0 (46.4 to 79.2) | 0.180 | |
| Salazopyrin, users/total: | 26/32 (81.25%) | 58/67 (86.56) | ||
| Weekly dose, mg | 7,000 (7,882 to 11,233) | 7,000 (9,051 to 11,825) | 0.395 | |
| Duration, months | 53.5 (38.8 to 105.1) | 50.0 (51.5 to 86.4) | 0.848 | |
| Hydroxychloroquine: | 22/32 (68.75%) | 57/67 (85.07%) | ||
| Weekly dose, mg | 1,404 (1,404 to 1,968) | 1,400 (1,486 to 1,804) | 0.241 | |
| Duration, months | 11.5 (9.2 to 15.7) | 13.0 (13.6 to 21.6) | 0.644 | |
| Celebrex, users/total: | 19/32 (59.37) | 42/67 (62.68%) | ||
| Weekly dose, mg | 1,400 (1,581 to 2,250) | 1,400 (1,561 to 2,005) | 0.660 | |
| Duration, months | 18.0 (14.0 to 30.8) | 23 (-8.7 to 123.8) | 0.829 | |
| Meloxicam, users/total: | 10/32 (31.3%) | 26/67 (38.8%) | ||
| Weekly dose, mg | 105 (78.6 to 110.3) | 105 (78.8 to 98.8) | 0.336 | |
| Duration, months | 7.5 (0.78 to 23.6) | 12.0 (9.6 to 27.4) | 0.599 | |
Results are expressed as median (95% CI) (n = 99).
aData were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test.
ALT = alanine aminotransferase; BMI = body mass index; BP = blood pressure; CRP = C-reactive protein; HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire; Hb = hemoglobin; WBC = white blood cells.