Table 1.
Basic characteristics of study participants, by FGF-21 Quartile at Baseline
| 1st Quartile | 2nd Quartile | 3rd Quartile | 4th Quartile | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | |
| Age (yrs) | 49.7 (15.7) | 60.4 (8.5) | 54.8 (13.1) | 59.1 (8.9) | 0.004 |
| Female, N (%) | 17 (59%) | 13 (46%) | 11 (39%) | 18 (64%) | 0.23 |
| Black or African American, N (%) | 11 (38%) | 10 (36%) | 7 (25%) | 10 (36%) | 0.73 |
| Body Mass Index, (kg/m2) | 24.8 (5.0) | 28.2 (5.8) | 30.2 (7.6) | 32.1 (9.2) | 0.001 |
| ALMI Z-Score | −0.69 (0.94) | −0.23 (0.78) | 0.09 (0.74) | −0.10 (1.52) | 0.04 |
| FMI Z-Score | −0.71 (1.02) | −0.28 (1.29) | 0.07 (1.12) | 0.29 (1.20) | 0.01 |
| Visceral Fat Area (cm2) | 86.8 (49.0) | 129.4 (57.6) | 141.1 (61.7) | 180.3 (90.6) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes, N (%) | 2 (7%) | 5 (18%) | 3 (11%) | 3 (11%) | 0.63 |
| Cardiac Disease, N (%) | 8 (28%) | 15 (54%) | 14 (50%) | 22 (79%) | 0.002 |
| Prior MI, N (%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (7%) | 3 (11%) | 3 (12%) | 0.34 |
| Prior CABG, N (%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (4%) | 0.56 |
| Prior DVT, N (%) | 2 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (7%) | 2 (7%) | 0.55 |
| Hypertension, N (%) | 8 (28%) | 12 (43%) | 14 (50%) | 22 (79%) | 0.001 |
| Peripheral Vascular Disease, N (%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (7%) | 1 (4%) | 0.27 |
| Prior Stroke, N (%) | 1 (3%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (4%) | 2 (7%) | 0.89 |
| Prior TIA, N (%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (4%) | 2 (7%) | 0.55 |
| EGFR (mL/min/1.73m2) | 102.2 (25.5) | 96.7 (26.6) | 97.4 (19.6) | 88.9 (28.7) | 0.27 |
| Current Smoker, N (%) | 4 (14%) | 4 (14%) | 10 (36%) | 8 (29%) | 0.13 |
| RA Disease Characteristics | |||||
| M-DAS (CRP) | 2.24 (1.08) | 2.35 (1.42) | 2.16 (1.19) | 2.60 (1.13) | 0.55 |
| DAS28 (CRP) | 3.09 (1.20) | 2.95 (1.31) | 2.99 (1.19) | 3.48 (1.07) | 0.33 |
| HAQ Score | 0.72 (0.61) | 0.64 (0.63) | 0.66 (0.59) | 1.12 (0.62) | 0.01 |
| SPPB | 12 (10, 12) | 11 (10, 12) | 11.5 (9, 12) | 9 (8, 11) | 0.02 |
| vdHS Score | 13.5 (3, 41) | 32 (6, 77) | 6 (2, 40) | 16.5 (6, 73) | 0.29 |
| Disease Duration, yrs | 5.9 (2.5, 15.1) | 11.0 (5.3, 21.0) | 7.1 (3.5, 16.1) | 5.2 (0.9, 26.0) | 0.57 |
| Current Methotrexate, N (%) | 23 (79%) | 18 (64%) | 18 (64%) | 16 (57%) | 0.34 |
| Current Biologic Therapy, N (%) | 18 (62%) | 13 (46%) | 11 (39%) | 16 (57%) | 0.31 |
| Current Prednisone, N (%) | 15 (52%) | 11 (39%) | 9 (32%) | 16 (57%) | 0.22 |
Abbreviations: ALMI= Appendicular Lean Mass Index; FMI= Fat Mass Index; RA= Rheumatoid Arthritis; DAS28(CRP)= Disease Activity Score of 28 joints including C-Reactive Protein; M-DAS= modified disease activity score; HAQ= Health Assessment Questionnaire; SPPB= Short Physical Performance Battery; vdHS= van der Heidje-Sharpe.
Legend: Results displayed as Mean(SD) or Median (IQR) for skewed data. Mean and SD of all Z-Scores in controls are 0 +/− 1, by definition. P values represent results of ANOVA, chi-squared, or Kruskal-Wallis tests.