Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Variable | Simvastatin group | Control group | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 61.15 (9.49) | 56.48 (11.84) | 0.053 |
| Women | 44 (88%) | 42 (84%) | 0.566 |
| Rheumatoid factor positive | 25 (50%) | 27 (54%) | 0.69 |
| Anti-CCP antibody positive | 25 (50%) | 28 (56%) | 0.55 |
| Disease duration (years) | 10.62 (9.37) | 11.98 (11.86) | 0.956 |
| Methotrexate | 32 (64%) | 33 (66%) | 0.835 |
| Sulfasalazine | 20 (40%) | 19 (38%) | 0.838 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 10 (20%) | 11 (22%) | 0.807 |
| Leflunomide | 12 (24%) | 11 (22%) | 0.813 |
| Etanercept | 1 (2%) | 1 (2%) | 1 |
| Oral prednisolone | 16 (32%) | 17 (34%) | 0.832 |
| Early morning stiffness (min)* | 12.80 (0–60) | 15.25 (0–60) | 0.446 |
| Tender joint count* | 7.02 (0–24) | 5.23 (0–25) | 0.168 |
| Swollen joint count* | 1 (0–8) | 0.6 (0–4) | 0.684 |
| VAS pain (mm) | 59.76 (18.90) | 50.50 (23.74) | 0.062 |
| Patient global assessment (mm) | 58.29 (14.47) | 54.75 (19.61) | 0.206 |
| Evaluator global assessment (mm) | 51.46 (9.10) | 47.50 (12.55) | 0.066 |
| HAQ-DI | 1.53 (0.51) | 1.36 (0.59) | 0.166 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/h) | 27.76 (15.81) | 27.58 (18.76) | 0.545 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L)* | 4.66 (0.36–36.67) | 4.71 (0.6–21.6) | 0.932 |
| DAS28 ESR | 4.44 (0.98) | 4.04 (1.00) | 0.074 |
| DAS28 CRP | 3.72 (1.00) | 3.39 (0.91) | 0.122 |
| SDAI | 19.51 (9.03) | 16.19 (8.02) | 0.085 |
| CDAI | 19.05 (9.10) | 15.73 (8.09) | 0.087 |
| Disease activity | |||
| LDA | 14 (28%) | 19 (38%) | 0.290 |
| MDA | 28 (56%) | 25 (50%) | 0.550 |
| HDA | 8 (16%) | 6 (12%) | 0.566 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 240.34 (40.33) | 197.15 (30.13) | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 155.07 (32.29) | 113.66 (25.30) | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 62.33 (15.88) | 63.53 (19.06) | 0.758 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 133.58 (49.22) | 108.65 (48.29) | 0.024 |
| Total creatine phosphokinase (UI/L) | 73.12 (33.44) | 78 (51.74) | 0.788 |
| Alanine transaminase | 17.65 (6.82) | 22.74 (12.39) | 0.055 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase | 19.53 (5.45) | 21 (7.19) | 0.576 |
| Hypertension | 42 (84%) | 27 (54%) | 0.001 |
| Smokers | 10 (20%) | 9 (18%) | 0.8 |
| Ex-smokers | 2 (4%) | 3 (6%) | 0.648 |
| Overweight | 26 (52%) | 16 (32%) | 0.044 |
| Obesity | 15 (30%) | 13 (26%) | 0.658 |
| Previous stroke | 2 (4%) | 1 (2%) | 0.56 |
| Coronary heart disease | 10 (20%) | 0 (0%) | 0.001 |
Between the breaks there are standard deviations or percents unless otherwise indicated; *minimal and maximal values of the variable; LDA: low disease activity; MDA: moderate disease activity; HDA: high disease activity.