Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the people with RA and healthy controls
| Variable | People with RA | Healthy controls | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 38 | 28 | |
| Age, mean (s.d.), years | 69.1 (8.0) | 68.2 (6.4) | 0.64a |
| Female, n (%) | 25 (65.8) | 15 (53.6) | 0.32b |
| Symptom duration, mean (s.d.), years | 9.8 (6.3) | – | – |
| BMI, mean (s.d.), kg/m2 | 28.3 (5.7) | 24.1 (4.4) | 0.002a |
| Education, n (%) | |||
| No qualifications | 17 (44.7) | 5 (17.9) | 0.07b |
| GCSEs/O levels | 6 (15.8) | 7 (25.0) | |
| A levels and/or degree | 15 (39.5) | 16 (57.1) | |
| Smoking status, n (%) | |||
| Never | 17 (44.7) | 18 (64.3) | 0.12b |
| Former | 14 (36.8) | 9 (32.1) | |
| Current | 7 (18.4) | 1 (3.6) | |
| Depression mean (s.d.), (PHQ-9, range: 0–27c) | 6.0 (6.7) | 1.1 (1.8) | 0.0004a |
| Anxiety mean (s.d.), (GAD-7, range: 0–21c) | 4.9 (5.5) | 0.6 (1.3) | 0.0001a |
a
Student’s unpaired t-test. bχ2 test. cHigher scores indicate worse depression/anxiety. GAD-7 = Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7; GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education; PHQ-9 = Patient Health Questionnaire-9.