Table 1.
Study participant characteristics
| Variable | Expressed as | Patients with RA | Controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 64 | n = 24 | ||
| Demographics | |||
| Age, years | mean, SD | 59.6 (9.4) (range 31, 78) | 51.8 (11.7) (range 35–80) |
| Female | n (%) | 45 (70.3) | 13 (54.2) |
| Ethnicity | n (%) | 60 (94.0) white | 21/22 (95.8) white |
| CV risk profile | |||
| PMH hypertension | n (%) | 22 (34.4) | 1/21 (4.2) |
| PMH hypercholesterolaemia | n (%) | 16 (25.0) | 1/21 (4.2) |
| Smoking status: | |||
| Never | n (%) | 28 (43.8) | 11/21 (52.4) |
| Ex-smoker | 28 (43.8) | 8/21 (38.1) | |
| Current | 8 (12.5) | 2/21 (9.5) | |
| Alcohol intake, units/week | median (IQR) | 2 (0, 8) (n = 63) | 1 (0, 6) (n = 21) |
| FHx premature CVDa | n (%) | 14 (21.9) | 4/20 (16.7) |
| Five or more fruit/vegetables daily intake, days/week | median (IQR) | 5 (4, 7) (n = 63) | 6 (4, 7) (n = 19) |
| Moderate exercise, mins/week | median (IQR) | 40 (0, 156) (n = 62) | 60 (0, 240) (n = 20) |
| Number of current anti-hypertensives | n (%) | 8 (12.5) on 1 drug | 1/21 (4.8) on 2 drugs |
| 8 (12.5) on 2 drugs | |||
| 1 (1.6) on 3 drugs | |||
| Current use of statin | n (%) | 11 (17.2) | 1/21 (4.2) |
| BMI | mean, SD | 25.8 (3.3) | 25.2 (3.4) |
| Waist/hip ratio | mean, SD | 0.84 (0.08) (n = 62) | 0.82 (0.10) (n = 21) |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | mean, SD | 134 (20) | 125 (14) (n = 23) |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | mean, SD | 80 (12) | 74 (10) (n = 23) |
| Fasting blood tests | |||
| Fasting glucose, mmol/L | mean, SD | 4.9 (1.0) (n = 60) | 4.7 (0.5) (n = 19) |
| Fasting total cholesterol, mmol/L | mean, SD | 5.3 (1.1) (n = 63) | 5.1 (1.0) (n = 19) |
| Fasting HDL-C, mmol/L | mean, SD | 1.6 (0.4) (n = 61) | 1.6 (0.4) (n = 19) |
| Fasting LDL-C, mmol/L | mean, SD | 3.1 (1.0) (n = 61) | 3.0 (0.9) (n = 19) |
| Fasting TC/HDL-C ratio | mean, SD | 3.4 (1.1) (n = 61) | 3.3 (1.0) (n = 19) |
| Fasting triglycerides, mmol/Lb | geometric mean | 1.1 (n = 63) | 1.0 (n = 19) |
| HOMA-IRb | geometric mean | 1.06 (n = 60)c | 1.13 (n = 20) |
| NT-proBNP, pg/mlb | geometric mean | 53.3 (n = 60) | 40.2 (n = 20) |
| Ten-year clinical risk scores | |||
| Framingham: | median (IQR) | 14.5 (6.3, 27.9)d | 4.4 (1.3, 14.4) (n = 18) |
| 14.6 (8.1, 29.1)e | |||
| Joint British Societies 2: | median (IQR) | 11.9 (4.9, 20.2)d | 3.9 (0.8, 11.5) (n = 18) |
| 12.0 (6.1, 22.2)e | |||
BMI body mass index, BP blood pressure, CVD cardiovascular disease, FHx family history, HOMA-IR homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, NT-proBNP N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, PMH past medical history of, RA rheumatoid arthritis, TC/HDL-C total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio
aDefined as first-degree relative with a history of CVD when 60 years old or younger if female, and 55 years old or younger if relative
bVariables log transformed prior to analysis
cExcluding outlier: 1.01 (n = 59)
dAdjusted to 2010 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) guidelines [15]
eAdjusted to 2017 EULAR guidelines [34]