Table 2. Baseline characteristics of preclinical arthritis and non-arthritis patients, separated by ACPA status.
| Preclinical arthritis n = 188 | Non-arthritis n = 367 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACPA + n = 165 | ACPA–n = 23 | p | ACPA +n = 183 | ACPA–n = 184 | p | |
| Age (mean ±SD) | 48.2 (11.2) | 55.1 (9.5) | 0.006 | 48.4 (11.8) | 51.0 (11.7) | 0.036 |
| Sex, n (% female) | 123 (75) | 16 (70) | 0.610 | 140 (77) | 136 (74) | 0.566 |
| RF positive, n (%) | 99 (60) | 23 (100) | <0.001 | 70 (39) | 184 (100) | <0.001 |
| CRP (median, IQR) | 2.0 (1.0–5.0) | 1.0 (1.0–2.2) | 0.003 | 2.0 (1.0–5.0) | 2.0 (1.0–4.0) | 0.295 |
| Statin users, n (%) | 16 (10) | 3 (13) | 0.618 | 26 (9) | 13 (7) | 0.551 |
| Antihypertensive drug use, n (%) | 25 (15) | 2 (9) | 0.539 | 23 (13) | 33 (18) | 0.153 |
| History of CVD, n (%) | 4 (2) | 2 (9) | 0.158 | 7 (4) | 7 (4) | 0.992 |
| DM, n (%) | 5 (3) | 2 (9) | 0.216 | 8 (5) | 6 (3) | 0.556 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 52 (32) | 4 (18) | 0.227 | 55 (30) | 46 (25) | 0.264 |
| SBP1 (mean ±SD) | 129.1 (16.1) | 142.7 (27.6) | 0.139 | 127 (15.5) | 128 (15.3) | 0.944 |
| Heart rate1 (mean ±SD) | 66.1 (7.9) | 72.3 (7.1) | 0.099 | 65 (9.7) | 62 (9.9) | 0.169 |
| BMI2 (mean ±SD) | 26.2 (4.1) | 24.9 (2.6) | 0.447 | 26.0 (4.1) | 26.2 (5.5) | 0.774 |
| TC3 (mean ±SD) | 5.1 (1.0) | 5.7 (1.1) | 0.015 | 5.3 (1.1) | 5.6 (1.2) | 0.026 |
| HDL3 (mean ±SD) | 1.0 (0.4) | 1.1 (0.4) | 0.415 | 1.1 (0.4) | 1.2 (0.2) | 0.012 |
| TC/HDL ratio3 (median, IQR) | 5.4 (4.1–7.4) | 5.6 (3.9–8.1) | 0.886 | 5.2 (3.89–6.94) | 4.9 (3.8–6.6) | 0.392 |
| LDL3 (mean ±SD) | 3.5 (0.9) | 3.9 (1.0) | 0.046 | 3.6 (1.1) | 3.7 (1.1) | 0.180 |
| Triglycerides3 (median ±IQR) | 1.3 (1.0–1.8) | 1.5 (1.2–2.4) | 0.107 | 1.3 (0.9–1.9) | 1.32 (0.9–2.0) | 0.631 |
| ApoA3 (mean ±SD) | 1.6 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.3) | 0.892 | 1.7 (0.3) | 1.7 (0.4) | 0.094 |
| ApoB3 (mean ±SD) | 0.8 (0.2) | 1.0 (0.2) | 0.012 | 0.9 (0.27) | 0.9 (0.2) | 0.358 |
| SCORE4 (median, IQR) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 0.815 | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 0.616 |
| QRISK34 score (median, IQR) | 4.5 (1.6–15.6) | 5.2 (2.2–9.1) | 0.936 | 3.1 (1.1–9.6) | 3.3 (1.8–9.8) | 0.721 |
| QRISK relative risk4 (median, IQR) | 1.2 (0.9–1.9) | 1.2 (0.9–1.7) | 0.936 | 1.4 (1.0–2.0) | 1.3 (1.0–1.8) | 0.545 |
1 Measured in a subset; people with antihypertensive medication use were excluded from analyses. Included: n = 128 (preclinical arthritis: 26, non-arthritis: 102).
2 Height and weight was measured in a subset. Included: n = 160 (preclinical arthritis: 34, non-arthritis: 126).
3 Subjects using cholesterol lowering medication were excluded from analyses. Included: n = 507 (preclinical arthritis: 169, non-arthritis: 338).
4 For SCORE and QRISK3 calculation, subjects with a history of CVD were excluded. Included: n = 150 (preclinical arthritis: 31, non-arthritis: 119).
ACPA: anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, ApoA: apolipoprotein A, ApoB: apolipoprotein B, BMI: body mass index, CRP: C-reactive protein, CVD: cardiovascular disease, DM: diabetes mellitus, HDL: high density lipoprotein, LDL: low density lipoprotein, RF: rheumatoid factor, SBP: systolic blood pressure, TC: total cholesterol, TC/HDL ratio: total cholesterol / high density lipoprotein ratio.