Table 4. Characteristics for the rituximab and placebo groups.
| Placebo | Rituximab | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % or mean (SD) | N | % or mean (SD) | |
| Age (years) | 20 | 34.0 (9.8) | 20 | 37.9 (8.1) |
| Female sex | 16 | 80.0% | 17 | 85.0% |
| Disease severity (1–5)1 | 20 | 2.9 (1.4) | 20 | 3.1 (1.5) |
| Disease duration (years)2 | 20 | 7.9 (2.5) | 20 | 8.0 (3.4) |
| SF-36 Physical Function3, baseline | 20 | 26.5 (17.1) | 20 | 34.8 (25.3) |
| SF-36 Physical Function, 18 months | 20 | 38.9 (23.0) | 20 | 43.6 (29.1) |
| FMD (%) at baseline | 20 | 5.2% (2.9) | 19 | 4.6% (4.2) |
| FMD (%) at 18 months | 17 | 5.3% (3.4) | 19 | 4.2% (3.4) |
| PORH (PU) at baseline | 17 | 1407 (839) | 19 | 1317 (627) |
| PORH (PU) at 18 months | 17 | 1972 (803) | 19 | 1711 (1100) |
1Disease severity in five categories: 1: mild; 2: mild/moderate; 3: moderate; 4 moderate/severe; 5: severe.
2Years from diagnosis to inclusion.
3SF-36: Short-Form-36 Health Survey Physical Function subscale: range 0–100, higher score denote better function.
Abbreviations: FMD: Flow-mediated dilation; PORH: Post-occlusive reactive hyperemia; PU: perfusion units.