Table 1.
Demographic data and laboratory data in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with or without subclinical atherosclerosis as shown by carotid ultrasonography a.
| RA with Subclinical Atherosclerosis (n = 30) |
RA without Subclinical Atherosclerosis (n = 34) |
Healthy Controls (n = 12) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age at entry, years | 63.5 ± 9.1 b | 56.6 ± 11.5 | 55.1 ± 6.5 |
| Women | 23 (76.7%) | 27 (79.4%) | 9 (75.0%) |
| Duration of RA, months | 81.8 ± 20.5 | 72.3±22.6 | NA |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 23.0 ± 2.8 | 21.7 ± 3.0 | 21.4 ± 2.3 |
| RF positivity | 21 (70.0%) | 22 (64.7%) | NA |
| ACPA positivity | 19 (63.3%) | 21 (61.8%) | NA |
| ESR at entry, mm/1st hour | 18.0 ± 12.6 | 18.0 ± 20.2 | NA |
| CRP at entry, mg/dL | 0.52 ± 0.53 | 0.42 ± 0.67 | NA |
| DAS28 at entry | 3.50 ± 0.89 | 3.52 ± 1.29 | NA |
| Daily steroid dose, mg/day | 3.8 ± 1.6 | 4.0 ± 2.3 | NA |
| csDMARDs used at entry | NA | ||
| Methotrexate | 25 (83.3%) | 28 (82.4%) | NA |
| Sulfasalazine | 14 (46.7%) | 15 (44.1%) | NA |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 12 (40.0%) | 13 (38.2%) | NA |
| Biologics used at entry | |||
| TNF-α inhibitors | 10 (33.3%) | 12 (35.3%) | NA |
| IL-6 receptor inhibitor | 8 (26.7%) | 10 (29.4%) | NA |
| Rituximab | 2 (6.7%) | 2 (5.9%) | NA |
| Hypertension | 15 (50.0%) † | 7 (20.6%) | 1 (8.3%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 5 (16.7%) | 2 (5.9%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Current smoker | 4 (13.3%) | 4 (11.8%) | 1 (8.3%) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 219 (193–245) | 225 (201–247) | 208 (201–231) |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 58.5 (48.0–66.0) | 72.5 (56.8–86.0) c | 59.0 (46.3–77.8) |
| Triglyceride, mg/dL | 123 (87–170) | 94 (67.5–145) | 90 (72.8–126) |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 142 (111–168) | 148 (106–154) | 131 (120–155) |
| Atherogenic index | 3.8 (2.8–4.7) | 3.1 (2.6–3.9) | 3.5 (2.9–4.8) |
| QRISK-2 scores | 9.3 (5.5–14.0) d | 5.4 (2.3–8.7) | 3.8 (2.9–5.0) |
| Framingham score (%) | 13.4 (8.5–19.4) e | 5.4 (3.8–5.4) | 3.6 (2.5–5.0) |
| CVD events | 3 (10.0%) f | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
The presence of subclinical atherosclerosis was determined by using carotid ultrasonography. a Data are presented as the median (interquartile range, IQR), mean ± SD or number (percentage). b p < 0.05, c p < 0.05, vs. RA patients with subclinical atherosclerosis or healthy controls, as determined by using the Mann-Whitney U test. d p < 0.005, e p < 0.001, vs. RA patients without subclinical atherosclerosis or healthy controls. f Included two patients with acute myocardial infarction and one with ischemic stroke. ACPA: Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies; CRP: C-reactive protein; csDMARDs: Conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; IL-6: interleukin-6; CVD: Cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease; DAS28: Disease activity score for 28-joints; ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; RF: Rheumatoid factor.