Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population*.
| Characteristic | Seropositive (n = 20) | Seronegative (n = 15) | Controls (n = 15) | P values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 59.4 (33.2–90.4) | 60.2 (32.7–80.9) | 56.3 (22.4–84.8) | 0.87 |
| % Male | 50 | 46.7 | 53.3 | 0.94 |
| Lymphocytes† | 1.94 (0.84–3.26) | 1.95 (0.67–3.18) | 2.1 (1.0–3.24) | 0.95 |
| % CD4+ | 50.2 (26.8–66.9) | 56.2 (37.6–68.3) | 44.43 (28.5–65.4) | 0.02 |
| % CD8+ | 22.3 (8.21–59.1) | 17.3 (4.53–51.4) | 25.97 (11.2–39.6) | 0.03 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 33.7 (2–132) | 30.29 (2–101) | N/A | 0.86 |
| ESR (mm/hr) | 24.8 (2–105) | 22.2 (1–84) | N/A | 0.75 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 80.4 (49.3–105.2) | 82.8 (50.4–139.7) | N/A | 0.95 |
| DAS-28 (CRP) | 4.20 (0.97–6.66) | 4.74 (2.10–8.63) | N/A | 0.84 |
| Duration of RA | 52.6 (1–232) | 46.5 (1–135) | N/A | 0.87 |
| Steroid therapy | 6/20 | 6/15 | N/A | 0.72 |
| DMARD therapy | 16/20 | 9/15 | N/A | 0.14 |
| Anti-TNF therapy‡ | 9/20 | 6/15 | N/A | 0.77 |
*values shown are the mean and range (brackets).
†×106/mL.
‡5 patients received etanercept (3 in the seropositive and 2 in the seronegative group); the remaining patients received adalimumab.