Table 2. Conventional echocardiographic characteristics of the study population.

	Controls (n = 30)	RA patients (n = 38)	Infliximab-treated patients (n = 20)	Prednisolone-treated patients (n = 18)	p-value*	p-value#
LV EDV (ml)	80.1 ± 10.1	83.2 ± 6.1	85.7 ± 6.6	83.9 ± 4.7	0.74	0.2
LV ESV (ml)	29.3 ± 5.6	28.8 ± 6.2	28.3 ± 4.2	29.2 ± 5.3	0.49	0.51
LV EF (%)	64.6 ± 4.1	64.2 ± 3.0	63.8 ± 4.0	64.1 ± 3.3	0.35	0.7
IVS (mm)	9.5 ± 0.6	9.7 ± 0.5	9.7 ± 1.7	9.5 ± 2.5	0.39	0.06
PW (mm)	8.5 ± 0.6	8.5 ± 0.4	8.6 ± 0.6	8.5 ± 0.8	0.91	0.82
LAV (ml)	38.7 ± 4.8	39.8 ± 4.0	39.4 ± 3.3	40.4 ± 4.6	0.29	0.43
S′ (cm/s)	7.6 ± 2.9	7.3 ± 3.2	7.2 ± 1.8	7.4 ± 2.5	0.16	0.1
E′ (cm/s)	9.0 ± 3.1	8.6 ± 2.1	7.9 ± 2.5	8.3 ± 1.9	0.18	0.09
E/ E′	7.8 ± 2.0	9.0 ± 2.6	9.4 ± 3.9	8.5 ± 2.5	< 0.05	< 0.05
IVRT (ms)	86.8 ± 5.5	93.7 ± 10.4	96.7 ± 10.8	90.3 ± 10.1	< 0.01	0.56
E (cm/s)	78.1 ± 12.5	76.9 ± 7.7	76.1 ± 7.4	77.9 ± 8.2	0.13	0.48
A (cm/s)	49.5 ± 9.3	69.3 ± 10.6	67.5 ± 9.9	71.3 ± 11.2	< 0.001	0.28
E/A	1.4 ± 0.2	1.14 ± 0.25	1.1 ± 0.2	1.1 ± 0.2	< 0.001	0.66
DT (ms)	179.8 ± 25.5	199.3 ± 32.6	199.1 ± 35.3	198.6 ± 30.3	< 0.001	0.86

Values are expressed as mean ± SD.

*For comparisons between RA patients and control group.

^#For comparisons between infliximab- and prednisolone-treated patients.

LV = left ventricle, EDV = end-diastolic volume, ESV = end-systolic volume, EF = ejection fraction, IVS = interventricular septum, PW = posterior wall, LAV = left atrial volume, IVRT = isovolumic relaxation time, DT = deceleration time.