Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population stratified by rheumatoid arthritis disease activity (n = 325).
| Characteristic | Total | Patients with disease remission | Patients with low disease activity | Patients with moderate disease activity | Patients with high disease activity | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 325 | 105 | 68 | 121 | 31 | |
| Age in years | 55 (47–62) | 54 (47–61) | 57 (46–65) | 55 (47–63) | 56 (47–61) | 0.567a |
| Sex | 0.533b | |||||
| Female | 287 (88.3) | 90 (85.7) | 61 (89.7) | 110 (90.9) | 26 (83.9) | |
| Male | 38 (11.7) | 15 (14.3) | 7 (10.3) | 11 (9.1) | 5 (16.1) | |
| Duration of RA diagnosis in years | 4 (2–8) | 5 (3–9) | 4 (2–6) | 4 (2–9) | 2 (1–6) | 0.001a |
| Anti-CCP antibody | 0.588b | |||||
| Positive | 204 (62.8) | 65 (61.9) | 39 (57.4) | 78 (64.5) | 22 (71.0) | |
| Negative | 121 (37.2) | 40 (38.1) | 29 (42.6) | 43 (35.5) | 9 (29.0) | |
| Rheumatoid factor | 0.300b | |||||
| Positive | 138 (42.5) | 44 (41.9) | 26 (38.2) | 50 (41.3) | 18 (58.1) | |
| Negative | 187 (57.5) | 61 (58.1) | 42 (61.8) | 71 (58.7) | 13 (41.9) | |
| Extra-articular symptoms | 0.826b | |||||
| Yes | 159 (48.9) | 48 (45.7) | 36 (52.9) | 60 (49.6) | 15 (48.4) | |
| No | 166 (51.1) | 57 (54.3) | 32 (47.1) | 61 (50.4) | 16 (51.6) | |
| Number of DMARDs used | 2 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) | 3 (1–3) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–3) | 0.008a |
| DAS28 score | 3.1 (2.4–4.1) | 2.3 (2.0–2.4) | 3.0 (2.8–3.1) | 3.9 (3.6–4.3) | 5.6 (5.3–6.3) | <0.001a |
Data are expressed as the median (IQR) or n (%).
CCP, cyclic citrullinated peptide; DAS28, 28-joint count Disease Activity Score; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; IQR, interquartile range; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.
a
Kruskal-Wallis test.
b
Chi-square test.