Table 2.
Co-morbidity at baseline and 5 years in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis
| Baseline (n =950) | New co-morbidity during 5 years of disease (n = 726) | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Co-morbidity overalla | 53.2 | 41.0 |
| Hypertension | 27.3 | 15.1 |
| Asthma/COPD | 13.9 (11.2/4.1) | 2.4 (0.6/1.8) |
| Any endocrine disease | 19.2 | 10.5 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8.0 | 3.3 |
| Hypothyroidism | 6.3 | 1.9 |
| Thyroid diseaseb | 10.4 | 2.4 |
| Osteoporosis | 1.4 | 3.7 |
| Hyperparathyroidism | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Malignancy | 5.0 | 7.6 |
| Myocardial infarction | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Stroke/TIA | 3.9 | 5.1 |
Values are percent for all. aCo-morbidity defined according to Charlson [40]. bDefined as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroid disease and goiter. COPD chronic obstructive lung disease, TIA transient ischemic attack