Table 2.
Comparison of ATD patients according to ANA or RF positivity
| Positive ANA (n = 27) | Negative ANA (n = 127) | p value | Positive RF (n = 12) | Negative RF (n = 142) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 49.3±12.6 | 44.5±14.4 | 0.16 | 55.8±14.5 | 44.4±13.8 | 0.007 |
| Caucasian ethnic background, n (%) | 20 (74) | 98 (77.1) | 0.82 | 10 (83.3) | 108 (76.0) | 0.83 |
| Graves/Hashimoto, n | 13/14 | 71/56 | 0.46 | 8/4 | 76/66 | 0.54 |
| Smokers, n (%) | 5 (18.5) | 22 (17.3) | 0.88 | 5–41.6 | 22–15.4 | 0.03# |
| Arthralgias, n (%) | 15 (55.5) | 79 (62.2) | 0.52 | 9 (75) | 85 (59.8) | 0.56 |
| Tapazole and propylthiouracil users, n (%) |
3 (11.1) | 12 (9.4) | 1.00 | 2 (16.1) | 13 (9.1) | 0.33 |
| Daily T4 dose, µg/kg, mean ± SD | 1.55±0.65 | 1.67±0.73 | 0.91 | 1.48±0.31 | 1.66±0.73 | 0.70 |
Value between brackets = interquartile range.
#
OR 3.8; 95% CI 1.1–13.3.
n, number; ATD, autoimmune thyroid disease; ANA, antinuclear antibody; RF, rheumatoid factor.