Table 1.
Baseline clinical characteristics of 151 patients with rheumatic diseases.
| Variable | RA n = 50 | SpA n = 51 | SLE n = 50 | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epidemiological characteristics | ||||
| Female sex, n (%) | 45 (90.0) | 26 (51.0) | 48 (96.0) | <0.001 |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 55.1 (13.6) | 52.5 (12.1) | 47.1 (11.3) | 0.010 |
| Educational level | 0.150 | |||
| None, n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Primary, n (%) | 30 (60.0) | 19 (37.3) | 21 (42.0) | |
| Secondary, n (%) | 9 (18.0) | 18 (35.3) | 10 (20.0) | |
| Higher, n (%) | 10 (20.0) | 14 (27.5) | 19 (38.0) | |
| Socioeconomic level | 0.165 | |||
| No income, n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Income <€1000 per month, n (%) | 9 (18.0) | 6 (11.8) | 15 (30.0) | |
| Income €1000–1500 per month, n (%) | 31 (62.0) | 30 (58.8) | 27 (54.0) | |
| Income >€1500 per month, n (%) | 9 (18.0) | 15 (29.4) | 8 (16.0) | |
| Comorbid conditions | ||||
| Arthritis, n (%) | 50 (100.0) | 24 (47.1) | 24 (48.0) | <0.001 |
| Osteoporosis, n (%) | 9 (18.0) | 2 (3.9) | 5 (10.0) | 0.070 |
| Asthma, n (%) | 2 (4.0) | 4 (7.8) | 1 (2.0) | 0.365 |
| COPD, n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 0.596 |
| Angina, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 1 (2.0) | 0.605 |
| Heart disease, n (%) | 1 (2.0) | 3 (5.9) | 3 (6.0) | 0.556 |
| Acute myocardial infarction, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 0.362 |
| Neurologic disease, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Stroke, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 3 (6.0) | 0.163 |
| Vascular disease, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (4.0) | 0.385 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 6 (12.0) | 3 (5.9) | 1 (2.0) | 0.128 |
| Gastrointestinal disease, n (%) | 5 (10.0) | 5 (9.8) | 4 (8.0) | 0.930 |
| Depression, n (%) | 7 (14.0) | 3 (5.9) | 11 (22.0) | 0.065 |
| Anxiety, n (%) | 7 (14.0) | 2 (3.9) | 11 (22.0) | 0.027 |
| Visual impairment, n (%) | 7 (14.0) | 5 (9.8) | 11 (22.0) | 0.224 |
| Loss of hearing, n (%) | 2 (4.0) | 8 (15.7) | 5 (10.0) | 0.146 |
| Vertebral disease, n (%) | 5 (10.0) | 5 (9.8) | 4 (8.0) | 0.930 |
| Obesity, n (%) | 6 (12.0) | 2 (3.9) | 5 (10.0) | 0.320 |
| Disease activity | ||||
| Time since diagnosis in years, mean (SD) | 14.3 (7.1) | 13.0 (6.1) | 18.1 (8.3) | 0.593 |
| History of arthritis, n (%) | 50 (100.0) | 51 (100.0) | 24 (48.0) | <0.001 |
| DAS28, mean (SD) | 3.1 (1.2) | - | - | - |
| BASDAI, mean (SD) | - | 4.3 (2.1) | - | - |
| SLEDAI, mean (SD) | - | - | 5.3 (4.7) | - |
Abbreviations. RA: rheumatoid arthritis; SpA: spondyloarthritis; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; COPD: chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, DAS28: Disease Activity Score 28 with ESR; BASDAI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index.