Table 1. Clinical details of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy controls (HCs).
| Characteristics | RA | HC |
| Number of patients | 102 | 104 |
| Sex, male/female | 10/92 | 39/64 |
| Age (y.o.) | 63.6±12.3 | 42.9±12.3 |
| Disease duration (y) | 13.0±10.2 | |
| Positive ACPA, n (%) | 87 (85.2%) | 1 (1.0%) |
| ESR (mm) | 29.7±26.4 | NA |
| C-reactive protein (mg/l) | 11.6±17.3 | NA |
| MMP3 (ng/ml) | 164±140 | NA |
| DAS28(CRP) | 3.42±1.07 | NA |
| Remission (<2.3) | 11 (10.8%) | |
| Low Disease Activity (<2.7) | 13 (12.7%) | |
| Moderate Disease Activity (2.7–4.1) | 47 (46.1%) | |
| High Disease Activity (>4.1) | 32 (31.4%) | |
| Joint count for swelling | 3.61±4.47 | NA |
| Joint count for tenderness | 2.39±2.87 | NA |
| VAS (mm) | 46.0±24.3 | NA |
| Drug use, n (%) | 96 (94.1%) | |
| DMARDs | 90 (88.2%) | |
| Steroid | 38 (37.2%) | |
| Biologics | 16 (15.7%) |
All values are reported as mean ± standard deviation.
ACPA = anti-citrullinated protein antibody; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation ratio; MMP3 = metalloproteinase-3, DAS28 = 28-joint Disease Activity Score, VAS = visual analogue scale of general health, DMARDs = Disease Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs, NA = not applicable.