Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with RA at baseline and at follow-up after 13 years.
| Baseline | Follow-up | |
|---|---|---|
| n = 39 | n = 22 | |
| Demographic | ||
| Age (range) | 53 (38–65) | 63 (51–78) |
| Female, number (%) | 30 (77) | 18 (81.8) |
|
| ||
| Cardiovascular risk factors | ||
| Diabetes, number (%) | 1 (2.6) | 0 |
| Current smoking, number (%) | 8 (20.5) | 0 |
| Ever smoking, number (%) | 17 (43.6) | 7 (31.8) |
| Systolic blood pressure mmHg | na | 140 (128–149) |
| Diastolic blood pressure mmHg | na | 80 (78–90) |
| Antihypertensive treatment, number (%) | 8 (20.5) | 10 (45.5) |
| Cholesterol mmol/L | 5.2 (4.6–6.3) | 5.7 (4.7–6.5) |
| LDL mmol/L | 3.2 (2.8–4.2) | 3.5 (2.5–4.4) |
| HDL mmol/L | 1.4 (1.1–1.7) | 1.5 (1.3–2.0) |
| Triglycerides mmol/L | 1.1 (0.8–1.8) | 1.1 (0.93–1.5) |
| Statin treatment, number (%) | 0 | 3 (13.6) |
| BMI kg/m2 | 22.7 (21.6–25.8) | na |
| BMI < 20 kg/m2, number (%) | 5 (12.8) | na |
| BMI > 30 kg/m2, number (%) | 3 (7.7) | na |
|
| ||
| Inflammatory variables | ||
| ESR mm/h | 22 (10–32) | 15 (9–27) |
| CRP mg/L | 10 (5–19) | 5 (5–17) |
| Haptoglobin mg/L | 1.6 (1.0–2.1) | 1.6 (1.0–1.9) |
| Tender joint count | na | 2 (0–3) |
| Swollen joint count | na | 0 (0–3) |
| DAS28 | na | 3.3 (2.3–3.9) |
| HAQ | na | 0.63 (0.25–1.5) |
| Global VAS mm | na | 28 (12–41) |
| Positive RF | 39 (100) | na |
All numbers are presented as median (Q1–Q3), except when indicated else.
LDL: low-density lipoproteins. HDL: high-density lipoproteins. BMI: body mass index. ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate. CRP: C-reactive peptide. DAS28: 28-joint disease activity score. HAQ: health assessment questionnaire. VAS: visual analogue scale. RF: rheumatoid factor. na: not analysed.