Table 1. Comparison of clinical characteristics between rheumatoid arthritis patients with remission or mild activity and those with moderate or severe activity.
| Overall | Disease Activity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | RA | Moderate or severe activity (>2.9) | Remission or mild activity (≤2.9) | p value |
| n = 210 | n = 89 | n = 121 | ||
| Age, mean ± SD | 56.59 ± 11.25 | 56.54 ± 9.51 | 56.62 ± 12.42 | 0.958 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 18 (9) | 9 (10) | 9 (7) | 0.494 |
| Menopause, n (%) | 164 (78) | 74 (83) | 90 (74) | 0.129 |
| BMI, mean ± SD | 27.73 ± 4.35 | 27.96 ± 4.12 | 27.55 ± 4.52 | 0.499 |
| Fat mass (%), mean ± SD | 46.33 ± 5.94 | 47.04 ± 5.81 | 45.81 ± 6.00 | 0.141 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 29 (14) | 17 (19) | 12 (10) | 0.057 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 81 (39) | 37 (42) | 44 (36) | 0.443 |
| Disease duration, years, mean ± SD | 13 ± 9 | 13 ± 9 | 12 ± 9 | 0.425 |
| HAQ-DI Score, mean ± SD | 0.50 ± 0.56 | 0.90 ± 0.58 | 0.21 ± 0.31 | <0.001 |
| Functional disability, n (%) | 78 (37) | 63 (71) | 15 (12) | <0.001 |
| Swollen joints, mean ± SD | 1.3 ± 3.3 | 2.90 ± 4.56 | 0.13 ± 0.69 | <0.001 |
| Painful joints, mean ± SD | 2.17 ± 4.77 | 4.93 ± 6.35 | 0.14 ± 0.47 | <0.001 |
| Severity of pain, mean ± SD | 37.04 ± 28.40 | 55.96 ± 24.70 | 23.13 ± 22.29 | <0.001 |
| Treatment | ||||
| Glucocorticoids, n (%) | 161 (77) | 67 (75) | 94 (78) | 0.684 |
| Synthetic-DMARDs, n (%) * | 209 (99) | 89 (100) | 120 (99) | NC |
| Biologic-DMARDs, n (%) | 25 (12) | 8 (9) | 17 (14) | 0.263 |
| Laboratory measurements | ||||
| Rheumatoid Factor (UI) (+), n (%) | 130 (72) | 56 (75) | 74 (70) | 0.474 |
| ESR (mm/Hr), (+), n (%) | 127 (64) | 57 (70) | 70 (60) | 0.128 |
| CRP (mg/L), (+), n (%) | 118 (56) | 55 (62) | 63 (52) | 0.160 |
| Anti-CCP (RU/mL), (+), n (%) | 128 (73) | 50 (69) | 78 (77) | 0.240 |
| Chemerin (ng/mL), mean ± SD | 78.88 ± 30.48 | 86.16 ± 33.67 | 73.50 ± 26.80 | 0.003 |
Frequency of data obtained from the patients: RF: 181 patients; ESR: 198 patients; anti-CCP: 175 patients. Other variables were measured at the time of the study in the total number of patients. Abbreviations: DMARDs: Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs; Anti-CCP: Anti-Cyclic Citrulinated Peptide.
(*) Fisher’s exact test.
NC = not calculated.