Table 1.
Clinical parameters of RA and HCs.
| Characteristics | RA (n = 76) | HCs (n = 53) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, years, mean ± SE | 52.5 (2.4) | 53.3 (2.8) | 0.56 |
| Menopause, years, mean ± SE | 48.5 (2.1) | 49.0 (2.0) | 0.39 |
| Duration of postmenopausal period, years, mean ± SE | 8.9 (2.4) | 8.2 (2.2) | 0.41 |
| Disease duration, months, median (IQR) | 4.8 (0.7-7.0) | — | |
| Disease characteristics | |||
| ESR, mm/h, mean ± SE | 68.4 (2.7) | — | |
| CRP, mg/L, mean ± SE | 44.0 (3.9) | — | |
| TJC, mean ± SE | 9 (1.2) | — | |
| SJC, mean ± SE | 6 (1.1) | — | |
| RF (+), n (%) | 42 (55.3) | — | |
| ACPA (+), n (%) | 53 (69.7) | — | |
| DAS28-ESR | 6.6 (1.2) | — | |
| Medications | |||
| HCQ, n (%) | 36 (47.4) | — | |
| MTX, n (%) | 18 (23.7) | — | |
| LEF, n (%) | 16 (21.1) | — | |
| TG, n (%) | 16 (21.1) | — | |
| DXA | |||
| Normal, n (%) | 17 (22.4) | 17 (32.1) | <0.01 |
| Osteopenia, n (%) | 44 (57.9) | 27 (50.9) | 0.04 |
| Osteoporosis, n (%) | 15 (19.7) | 9 (17.0) | 0.04 |
| Lumbar spine (L1-L4) | |||
| BMD, g/cm2, mean ± SE | 0.8 (0.3) | 1.0 (0.3) | 0.03 |
| T score, mean ± SE | -2.2 (0.4) | -0.9 (0.4) | 0.07 |
| Z score, mean ± SE | -1.1 (0.4) | -0.5 (0.4) | 0.06 |
| Total hip | |||
| BMD, g/cm2, mean ± SE | 0.8 (0.3) | 1.0 (0.4) | 0.04 |
| T score, mean ± SE | -1.3 (0.4) | -0.9 (0.4) | 0.07 |
| Z score, mean ± SE | -1.2 (0.3) | -0.6 (0.3) | 0.06 |
| BTMs | |||
| Serum β-CTX, pg/mL, median (IQR) | 340.3 (181.1-394.1) | 123.6 (111.2-218.2) | <0.0001 |
| Serum ALP, U/L, median (IQR) | 78.0 (66.2-96.5) | 60.1 (42.0-81.5) | 0.1 |
| Serum 25-(OH) VitD3, ng/mL median (IQR) | 10.1 (6.4-14.8) | 41.8 (8.1-13.3) | <0.0001 |
Abbreviations: ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reaction protein; TJC: tender joint count; SJC: swollen joint count; DAS28-ESR: disease activity score in 28 joints with sedimentation; RF: rheumatoid factor; ACPA: anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; β-CTX: C-terminal cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen; BMD: bone mineral density; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; MTX: methotrexate; LEF: leflunomide; TG: tripterygium glycosides.