Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the participants
| Variable1) | RA patients (n = 80) |
|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 51.9 ± 9.35 |
| RA disease duration (yr) | 7.8 ± 5.4 |
| Female sex | 80 (100) |
| Rheumatoid factor positivity | 51 (63.8) |
| Anti-CCP positivity | 64 (80.0) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 22.9 ± 3.1 |
| Comorbidity | 18 (22.6) |
| Hypertension | 16 (20.0) |
| Methotrexate | 66 (82.5) |
| Methotrexate dose (mg/wk) | 11.8 ± 2.7 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 18 (22.5) |
| Sulfasalazine | 22 (27.5) |
| Leflunomide | 26 (32.5) |
| Biologic DMARDs | 10 (12.5) |
| Oral glucocorticoid use2) | 10 (12.5) |
| NSAIDs | 34 (42.5) |
| DAS28ESR | 3.5 ± 1.0 |
| DAS28CRP | 2.8 ± 0.7 |
| HAQ-DI | 0.39 ± 0.45 |
| EQ-5D | 0.85 ± 0.06 |
| General health VAS | 23.4± 16.8 |
| Fatigue VAS | 16.9 ± 18.4 |
| FACIT-F | 120.7 ± 17.5 |
anti-CCP, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; CRP, c-reactive protein; DAS, disease activity score; DMARDs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; EQ-5D, EuroQol-5 dimension; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FACIT-F, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue; HAQ-DI, health assessment questionnaire-disability index; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; VAS, visual analogue scale
1)
Values are mean ± standard deviation, or number (percentage)
2)
≤ 5 mg/d glucocorticoid was used, as needed