Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and non-RA controls (NC) modified after [13].
| Subject Characteristics | RA (n = 70) | NC (n = 70) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean, SD) | 47.3 (11.1) | 46.7 (11.9) | 0.753 |
| Female (n) (%) | 62 (88.6) | 62 (88.6) | 1 |
| Current smoking (n) (%) | 2 (2.9) | 1 (1.4) | 1 |
| Never smoking (n) (%) | 7 (10.00) | 6 (8.6) | 1 |
| Co-morbidity (n) (%): | |||
| Asthma (+bronchodilator) | 0 (0) | 3 (4.3) | 0.245 |
| Hypertension (+medication) | 7 (10.0) | 4 (5.7) | 0.532 |
| Medication for hypertension, also combinations (n): | |||
| Calcium channel blocker | 4 | 2 | |
| ACE inhibitor | 2 | 2 | |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 2 | 0 | |
| RA patient characteristics: | |||
| Disease duration in months (median, IQR) | 24 (6–48) | ||
| DAS28 (mean, SD) | 5.1 (1.1) | ||
| Disease remission (DAS28 < 2.6) (n) (%) | 0 (0) | ||
| Low activity (DAS28 ≥ 2.6 < 3.2) (n) (%) | 3 (4.3) | ||
| Moderate activity (DAS28 ≥ 3.2 < 5.1) (n) (%) | 25 (35.7) | ||
| High activity (DAS28 ≥ 5.1) (n) (%) | 42 (60.0) | ||
| Medication for RA (n) (%), also combinations: | |||
| None | 8 (11.4) | ||
| Herbal | 5 (7.1) | ||
| NSAID | 44 (62.9) | ||
| Steroid | 55 (78.6) | ||
| DMARD total | 40 (57.1) | ||
| DMARD specific (n): | |||
| Methotrexate | 32 | ||
| Leflunomide | 2 | ||
| Chloroquine | 2 | ||
| Sulfasalazine | 11 | ||
| ACPA seropositive (n) (%): | |||
| IgG (>10 U/mL) | 29 (41.4) | 0 (0) | <0.000 |
| IgA † (>1.26 U/mL) | 27 (38.6) | 3 (4.3) | <0.000 |
| RF seropositive (n) (%): | |||
| IgM (>5 IU/mL) | 34 (48.6) | 1 (1.4) | <0.000 |
| IgA (>25 IU/mL) | 25 (35.7) | 0 (0) | <0.000 |
RF: rheumatoid factor; Ig: immunoglobulin; NSAID: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; DMARD: disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drug; † >2 SD above the mean of never-smoking healthy controls without periodontitis, n = 50.