Table 1. Participant characteristics.
| OA (n = 75) | RA (n = 82) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | CI | Mean (SD) | CI | p-value | |
| Age (years) | 68.8 (8.9) | 66.8–70.9 | 61.1 (13.3) | 58.2–64.0 | <0.001* |
| Sex (%female) | 60 (-) | 73.2 (-) | 0.082 | ||
| BMI | 30.8 (6.3) | 29.3–32.2 | 27.5 (5.1) | 26.4–28.6 | <0.001* |
| Body fat (%) | 38.8 (8.9) | 36.7–40.8 | 36.9 (10.0) | 34.7–39.1 | 0.214 |
| AMI (kg) | 0.7 (0.2) | 0.65–0.74 | 0.7 (0.2) | 0.6–0.7 | 0.950 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 4.6 (2.3) | 4.06–5.11 | 8.8 (13.3) | 5.9–11.7 | 0.006* |
| Sarcopenia (%sarcopenic) | 29.3 (-) | 17.1 (-) | 0.071 | ||
| Steroids (%using) | 0 (-) | 42.7 (-) | <0.001* | ||
| Fatique (MAF, points) | 21.1 (10.3) | 18.7–23.4 | 24.1 (10.9) | 21.7–26.4 | 0.064 |
| MAF, severity | 9.0 (4.6) | 7.9–10.1 | 10.5 (4.9) | 9.4–11.6 | 0.050* |
| MAF, distress | 3.0 (2.5) | 2.5–3.6 | 3.6 (2.8) | 3.0–4.2 | 0.165 |
| MAF, DL | 3.0 (1.8) | 2.6–3.4 | 3.3 (2.0) | 2.9–3.7 | 0.239 |
| MAF, timing | 11.4 (4.1) | 10.5–12.4 | 12.5 (3.5) | 11.8–13. | 0.057 |
| Fatigue (VAS, mm) | 39.2 (24.4) | 33.6–44.8 | 43.3 (23.8) | 38.1–48.6 | 0.283 |
| WOMAC (points) | 30.5 (19.1) | 26.1–34.9 | 26.3 (18.6) | 22.2–30.4 | 0.161 |
| DAS28 (points) | 3.6 (1.3) | 3.3–3.8 | |||
| HAQ-DI (points) | 0.9 (0.9) | 0.8–1.1 | 1.0 (0.7) | 0.9–1.1 | 0.534 |
| Pedometer (steps/day) | 4375 (2587) | 3749–5001 | 4700 (2913) | 4010–5389 | 0.489 |
| TUG (sec) | 7.8 (2.9) | 7.2–8.5 | 6.8 (2.8) | 6.2–7.5 | 0.029* |
| STS (number) | 10.0 (3.8) | 9.1–10.1 | 11.8 (3.8) | 11.0–12.7 | 0.004* |
| Walking speed (m/s) | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.2–1.4 | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.4–1.5 | 0.003* |
| Grip Strength (kg) | 26.0 (11.3) | 23.4–28.7 | 18.2 (8.9) | 16.2–20.2 | <0.001* |
OA = osteoarthritis, RA = Rheumatoid Arthritis, n = number, SD = Standard Deviation, CI = Confidence Interval, BMI = Body Mass Index, AMI = Appendicular Muscle Index, CRP = C-reactive protein, mg/l = milligram per litre, MAF = Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue, DL = Daily Living, VAS = Visual Analog Scale, mm = millimetres, WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, DAS-28 = Disease Activity Score 28, HAQ-DI = Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, TUG = Timed Up and Go, Sec = seconds, STS = Sit To Stand, m/s = meter per second, kg = kilograms. Data are mean (SD) unless otherwise stated.
* significant difference between groups = p < .05