Table 2.

Rheumatoid arthritis‐related characteristics

	RA	RA‐HTN
	(n = 13)	(n = 17)	P
RA duration (years)	7.6 (4.6–12.4)	5.5 (2.9–10.5)	0.443
RF positive, n (%)	9 (69)	10 (59)	0.768
Swollen joints, n (%)	5.2 (2.9–9.0)	2.6 (1.6–4.0)	0.045
Tender joints, n (%)	6.7 (2.8–14.7)	3.5 (1.7–6.7)	0.194
DAS28‐CRP	4.8 ± 1.9	3.7 ± 1.2	0.063
Disease activity, n (%)
Remission	4 (31)	5 (31)	0.088
Low disease activity	3 (23)	9 (56)
High disease activity	6 (46)	2 (13)
VAS, %	36.8 (21.7–62.0)	12.9 (5.3–30.1)	0.047
DMARD, n (%)	11 (85)	15 (88)	0.773
Number of DMARDs	1.8 (1.2–2.4)	1.8 (1.3–2.2)	0.850
Methotrexate, n (%)	8 (62)	12 (71)	0.602
Hydroxychloroquine, n (%)	5 (38)	10 (59)	0.269
Sulfasalazine, n (%)	4 (31)	3 (18)	0.400
Leflunomide, n (%)	2 (15)	1 (6)	0.390
Glucocorticoid, n (%)	1 (8)	6 (35)	0.077
Prednisolone, n (%)	1 (8)	4 (24)	0.249
Prednisolone dose (mg)	3	5.3 ± 3	0.534
Intramuscular, n (%)	0	1 (6)	0.374
Intra‐articular, n (%)	0	1 (6)	0.374
NSAID, n (%)	5 (38)	6 (35)	0.858
Opioid, n (%)	6 (46)	7 (41)	0.785
Weak, n (%)	5 (38)	7 (41)	0.880
Strong, n (%)	1 (8)	0	0.245
Biological agent, n (%)	4 (31)	3 (18)	0.400
TNF‐α inhibitor, n (%)	4 (31)	1 (6)	0.070
Certolizumab, n (%)	2 (15)	0	0.094
Etanercept, n (%)	2 (15)	0	0.094
Golilumab, n (%)	0	1 (6)	0.374
Rituximab, n (%)	0	2 (12)	0.201

Values expressed as the mean ± SD for continuous variables (parametric) and frequency (percentage) for discrete variables. Non‐parametric data were (natural) log transformed and are displayed as the geometric mean (95% confidence intervals). Statistical differences were tested using an independent t test for continuous variables and Pearson's chi‐square test for categorical data. Significance: P ≤ 0.05.

DAS, disease activity score; DMARD, disease modifying anti‐rheumatic drug; NSAID, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug; RF, rheumatoid factor.