Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of study participants.
| HD (n = 31) | HT (n = 18) | RA (n = 16) | SLE (n = 32) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD years* | 48.6 ± 17.4 | 49.0 ± 14.0 | 53.9 ± 15.7 | 52.8 ± 16.6 |
| Female, no. (%)* | 26 (81) | 17 (94) | 14 (88) | 26 (81) |
| Disease duration, mean ± SD years | – | 7.8 ± 12.7 | 12.1 ± 10.1 | 12.3 ± 8.4 |
| DAS28, mean ± SD | – | – | 2.9 ± 1.4 | – |
| SLEDAI, mean ± SD | – | – | – | 1.8 ± 1.8 |
| Anti-TG positive (> 40 U/mL), no. (%)** | 12 (75) | |||
| Anti-TPO positive (> 60 U/mL, no. (%)** | – | 14 (88) | – | – |
| Anti-CCP positive, no. (%) | – | – | 13 (81) | – |
| RF positive, no. (%) | – | – | 15 (94) | – |
| ANA ≥ 1/160, no. (%) | – | – | – | 26 (81) |
| Anti-SSA positive, no. (%) | – | – | – | 6 (19) |
| Anti-SSB positive, no. (%) | – | – | – | 2 (6) |
| Anti-Sm positive, no. (%) | – | – | – | 5 (16) |
| Anti-RNP positive, no. (%) | – | – | – | 9 (28) |
| Anti-dsDNA positive, no. (%) | – | – | – | 14 (44) |
| Methotrexate, no. (%) | – | – | 17 (100) | 4 (13) |
| Prednisolone, no. (%) | – | – | 12 (75) | 25 (78) |
| Hydroxychloroquine, no. (%) | – | – | 5 (31) | 29 (91) |
| Sulfasalazine, no. (%) | – | – | 4 (25) | – |
| Azathioprine, no. (%) | – | – | – | 6 (19) |
| Levothyroxin, no. (%) | – | 17 (94) | – | – |
HD healthy donors, HT hashimoto’s thyroiditis, RA rheumatoid arthritis, SLE systemic lupus erythematosus, DAS28 disease activity score-28, SLEDAI systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index, Anti-TG anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, Anti-TPO anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, Anti-CCP anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides, RF rheumatoid factor, ANA antinuclear antibody.
*There were no significant differences against HD controls.
**Anti-TG and anti-TPO titers unavailable for 2 patients.