Table 1. Baseline demographic, clinical and immunological characteristics of RA patients included in the study.
| RA patients | |
| N | 138 |
| Gender: Female, n. (%) | 114 (82.6) |
| Age (years) | 61.3±11.5 |
| Disease duration (years) | 13.0±10.6 |
| Anti-TNF naïve, n (%) | 35 (25.4) |
| Previous anti-TNF agents used | |
| N = 1, n (%) | 43 (41.7) |
| N = 2, n (%) | 48 (46.6) |
| N = 3, n (%) | 12 (11.7) |
| Current DMARDs therapy, n (%) | 122 (88.4) |
| Current steroid therapy, n (%) | 110 (80.3) |
| Tender joint count (n) | 18.8±12.6 |
| Swollen joint count (n) | 10.9±7.6 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 21.6±22.6 |
| ESR (mm/1st hour) | 48.5±25.4 |
| DAS | 4.6±1.2 |
| HAQ | 1.66±0.74 |
| Anti-CCP IgG (U/ml) | 190.2±127.0 (151.0)* |
| Anti-CCP IgG ≥7.0 U/ml, n (%) | 116/137 (84.7) |
| Anti-CCP IgM (U/ml) | 371.1±281.1 (303.0)* |
| Anti-CCP IgM ≥100 U/ml, n (%) | 33/137 (24.1) |
| Anti-CCP IgA (U/ml) | 20.4±24.1 (7.5)* |
| Anti-CCP IgA ≥2.2 U/ml, n (%) | 66/137 (48.2) |
| RF-IgG (U/ml) | 174.0±216.7 (102.3)* |
| RF-IgG ≥20U/ml, n (%) | 111/137 (81.0) |
| RF-IgM (U/ml) | 156.3±158.3 (89.4)* |
| RF-IgM ≥20U/ml, n (%) | 89 (64.5) |
| RF-IgA (U/ml) | 159.5±176.0 (90.1)* |
| RF-IgA ≥20U/ml, n (%) | 74 (53.6) |
| Anti-MCV (U/ml) | 447.7±465.7 (216.3)* |
| Anti-MCV ≥20U/ml, n (%) | 123 (89.1) |
Values are mean ± sd unless otherwise indicated. *values are reported as mean ± sd (median).
RA = rheumatoid arthritis; TNF = tumor necrosis factor; DMARDs = disease modified anti-rheumatic drugs; CRP = C-reactive protein; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; DAS = disease activity score; HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire; CCP = cyclic citrullinated protein; RF = rheumatoid factor; MCV = modified citrullinated vimentin.