Table 3.
The comparison of clinical parameters at baseline
| RLDA (n = 27) | MHDA (n = 37) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 56.3 ± 15.7 | 59.9 ± 12.1 | 0.334 |
| Female/male | 18/9 | 31/6 | 0.110 |
| Disease duration (years) | 10.3 ± 8.3 | 15.1 ± 13.6 | 0.082 |
| PSL dose (mg/day) | 2.2 ± 2.5 | 1.8 ± 2.1 | 0.483 |
| MTX dose (mg/week) | 5.2 ± 3.4 | 6.1 ± 3.6 | 0.321 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 53.1 ± 33.9 | 68.9 ± 29.5 | 0.056 |
| CRP (mg/dL)a | 1.7 (0.4–3.1) | 1.3 (0.6–2.9) | 0.807 |
| WBC (/μL) | 7429.6 ± 2078.1 | 5886.5 ± 2150.2 | 0.005 |
| % neutrophils | 68.3 ± 9.2 | 69.0 ± 9.3 | 0.775 |
| % eosinophils | 2.0 ± 1.1 | 2.6 ± 2.8 | 0.418 |
| % basophils | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.699 |
| % monocytes | 5.9 ± 1.6 | 4.9 ± 1.9 | 0.035 |
| % lymphocytes | 22.4 ± 7.9 | 22.0 ± 7.3 | 0.857 |
| MMP-3 (ng/mL)a | 158.0 (95.0–399.3) | 134.5 (69.1–500.0) | 0.579 |
| ACPA (U/mL)a | 61.4 (10.7–100.0) | 99.1 (15.1–100.0) | 0.393 |
| ACPA ≥ 60 U/mL, n (%) | 13 (50.0) | 21 (58.3) | 0.515 |
| RF (U/mL)a | 33 (10–100) | 61.5 (23.8–211.8) | 0.082 |
| RF ≥ 40 U/mL, n (%) | 12 (48.0) | 22 (64.7) | 0.199 |
| DAS28-ESR | 4.5 ± 1.4 | 5.3 ± 1.0 | 0.008 |
The data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, with the exception of skewed variables (a), which are represented as medians (interquartile range)
RLDA remission and low disease activity; MHDA moderate and high disease activity; PSL prednisolone; MTX methotrexate; ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP C-reactive protein; WBC white blood cell count; MMP-3 matrix metalloproteinase-3; ACPA anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; RF rheumatoid factor; DAS28 Disease Activity Score in 28 joints