Table 1. Clinical and laboratory findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis grouped according baseline atherosclerotic plaque in carotid arteries.
| Clinical characteristics | RA patients with plaque, n = 11 | RA patients without plaque, n = 20 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years (SE) | 63.2 (8.9) | 57.1 (9.8) | 0.1 |
| Disease duration, years | 18.1 (12.0) | 13.8 (9.5) | 0.29 |
| No. of pts with disease duration ≥10 years, n (%) | 8 (73) | 12 (60) | 0.62 |
| Physician’s global assessment of disease activity (0 to 100 mm) (SE) | 29.1 (18.1) | 20.9 (11.3) | 0.34 |
| Patient’s global assessment of disease activity (0 to 100 mm) (SE) | 38.3 (32.3) | 43.2 (24.1) | 0.40 |
| Pain (0 to 100 mm) (SE) | 32.7 (27.6) | 38.8 (21.1) | 0.28 |
| Short erosion score (SE) | 21.4 (18.5) | 14.6 (15.8) | 0.34 |
| Tender Joint Count (TJC) (0-68) (SE) | 18.8 (10.5) | 18.2 (13.6) | 0.54 |
| Tender Joint Count (0-28) (SE) | 8.6 (5.0) | 9.5 (6.9) | 0.66 |
| Swollen Joint Count (0-66) (SE) | 9.2 (5.3) | 10.0 (4.9) | 0.73 |
| Swollen Joint Count (0-28) (SE) | 7.7 (4.3) | 8.3 (4.1) | 0.99 |
| DAS 28-ESR (SE) | 4.9 (1.1) | 4.8 (1.3) | 0.81 |
| DAS 28-CRP (SE) | 4.5 (1.2) | 4.6 (1.2) | 0.86 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 7 (64) | 10 (50) | 0.46 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2(SE) | 27.6 (7.8) | 30.6 (5.8) | 0.36 |
| Smoking history: Current smokers, n (%) Former smokers, n (%) Never smokers, n (%) |
9(36) 4 (36) 3 (28) |
6(30) 7(35) 7 (35) |
0.53 |
| Average number of cigarettes/day in smokers (ever) | 12.6 (7.9) | 9.9 (7.6) | 0.19 |
| Number of smoking years (SE) | 20.7 (20.2) | 15.3 (14.6) | 0.40 |
| Pack-years | 19.5 (16.9) | 14.8 (10.4) | 0.32 |
| Family history of cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 5 (46) | 5 (25) | 0.24 |
| Framingham risk score | 19.2 (12.1) | 10.5 (6.6) | 0.005 |
| Creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault equation) | 0.93 (0.36) | 1.16 (0.19) | 0.002 |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| ESR, mm/hr (SE) | 30.2 (14.2) | 17.7 (15.4) | 0.009 |
| hsCRP, mg/l (SE) | 9.5 (7.7) | 6.7 (6.5) | 0.33 |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/l (SE) | 4.9 (0.8) | 5.1 (0.8) | 0.64 |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/l (SE) | 2.9 (0.6) | 3.0 (0.7) | 0.42 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/l (SE) | 1.52 (0.5) | 1.4 (0.5) | 0.52 |
| Total/HDL cholesterol (AI) (SE) | 3.6 (1.5) | 4.1 (1.5) | 0.42 |
Values are expressed as means (SE) or percentages as appropriate. LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; ESR - erythrocyte sedimentation rate; AI - atherogenic index