Table 1. Characteristics of 525 patients with incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 1988-2007.
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age, years | 54.6 (±13.7) |
| Female sex | 372 (71%) |
| Length of follow-up, years | 10.3 (±5.6) |
| Rheumatoid factor positivity | 359 (68%) |
| Smoking status at RA incidence | |
| Never | 245 (47%) |
| Current | 98 (19%) |
| Former | 182 (35%) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors (ever during follow-up) | |
| Hypertension | 453 (86%) |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 94 (18%) |
| Dyslipidemia | 373 (71%) |
| Medication use (ever during follow-up) | |
| Methotrexate | 342 (65%) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 340 (65%) |
| Other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs | 151 (29%) |
| Biologics | 107 (20%) |
| Corticosteroids | 419 (80%) |
| RA severity scores at RA incidence: | |
| RARBIS with medications | 3.3 (±1.4) |
| RARBIS without medications | 3.0 (±1.4) |
| CIRAS | 4.5 (±1.9) |
Values in the table are mean (±SD) for continuous characteristics and N (%) for discrete characteristics.
RARBIS = Rheumatoid Arthritis medical Records-Based Index of Severity (RARBIS); CIRAS = Claims-based Index of Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity