Table 1.
Clinical and demographic characteristics of the study group
| Variable | HC (N = 42) | RA (N = 16) | PsA (N = 25) | AS (N = 15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years – median (range) | 45 (23–65) | 61 (26–73) | 54 (31–73) | 42 (19–65) |
| Female sex – No. (%) | 20 (48) | 12 (75) | 6 (24) | 4 (27) |
| Disease duration in years – median (range) | n.a. | 10 (1–28) | 11 (1–28) | 9 (0.5–30) |
| Age of disease onset in years – median (range) | n.a. | 46 (14–69) | 44 (24–66) | 33 (13–57) |
| HLA‐B27+ – No. (%) | n.a. | n.a. | 0 (0) | 12 (80) |
| RF+ – No. (%) | n.a. | 11 (69) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) |
| Axial involvement – No. (%) | n.a. | n.a. | 1 (4) | 15 (100) |
| ESR in mm/hour – median (range) | n.a. | 7 (5–47) | 8 (1–42) | 13 (1–42) |
| TJC, of 76 – median (range) | n.a. | 4 (0–13) | 1 (0–26) | 0 (0–4) |
| SJC, of 78 – median (range) | n.a. | 3 (0–13) | 0 (0–13) | 0 (0–4) |
| Systemic immunomodulatory medicationa) – No. (%) | n.a. | 16 (100) | 18 (72) | 3 (20) |
RF, rheumatoid factor; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; TJR, ender joint count; SJC, swollen joint count; BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index.
a
Systemic immunomodulatory medication consisted of methotrexate (MTX; 10 patients with RA, 16 patients with PsA, one patient with AS), leflunomide (two patients with PsA), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ; one patient with RA), prednisone (one patient with PsA), sulfalazine (SSZ; two patients with AS), MTX + HCQ (five patients with RA), and SSZ + prednisone (one RA patient).