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Table 1 Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of participants

From: Methotrexate use, not interleukin 33, is associated with lower carotid intima-media thickness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Variable

Value

Age (years - mean ± SD)

55.5 ± 10

Age at onset of symptoms (years - mean ± SD)

37.9 ± 11.9

Disease length (years - mean ± SD)

17.6 ± 9.5

Female gender (n (%))

94 (92.5)

Postmenopausal (n (% female participants))

71 (75.5)

Non-white ethnicity (n (%))

74 (72.5)

Seropositive RA (n (%))a

84 (82.4)

Extra-articular involvementb(n (%))

23 (22.5)

DAS28 (mean ± SD)

4 ± 1.4

CDAI (mean ± SD)

13.4 ± 11.7

HAQ-DI (median (IQR))

0.8 (0.3–1.4)

Sharp/van der Heijde score c(median (IQR))

38 (10–75.5)

SAP/DAP (mmHg - mean ± SD)

123 ± 13 / 77.5 ± 8.6

Waist circumference (cm - mean ± SD)

94.5 ± 10.8

BMI (mean ± SD)

27.5 ± 4.7

Medications in use (n patients (%))

 Oral hypoglycemic agents and/or insulin

14 (13.7)

 Hypolipidemic agents

28 (27.5)

 Antihypertensives

54 (52.9)

 DMARDs

91 (89.2)

 Methotrexate

66 (64.7)

 Leflunomide

42 (41.2)

 Anti-TNFα

15 (14.7)

 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

22 (21.6)

 Prednisone

62 (60.8)

Prednisone daily dose (mg - median (IQR))

2.5 (0–5)

Prednisone cumulative dose (g - mean ± SD)

21.8 ± 15.7

Laboratory tests

 HDL (mg/dL – mean ± SD)

58.4 ± 16.1

 LDL (mg/dL – mean ± SD)

110.6 ± 28

 TC/HDL (median (IQR))d

3.5 (2.8–4.1)

 Triglycerides (mg/dL - median (IQR))

112 (81–165.5)

 Fasting glucose (mg/dL - median (IQR))

89 (79–97)

 CRP (mg/L - median (IQR))

8.3 (4.9–16.9)

 ESR (mm/h - median (IQR))

22 (15–32)

Traditional risk factors for CAD (n (%))

 Current smoker

12 (11.8)

 Diabetes mellitus

17 (16.7)

 Family history of early CVD

18 (17.6)

 Metabolic syndrome

53 (52)

 Systemic arterial hypertension

60 (58.8)

 Dyslipidemia

65 (63.7)

 Central obesity

88.2 (90)

Global Risk Score (Framingham) (Ref. 67) (median (IQR))

7.1 (4.1–11.6)

High cardiovascular risk (Ref. 65) (n (%))

64 (62.7)

LDL within therapeutic goal (BSC) (Ref. 65) (n (%))

22 (21.6)

  1. SD standard deviation, RA rheumatoid arthritis, DAS28 Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints, CDAI Clinical Disease Activity Index, HAQ-DI Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, IQR interquartile range, BMI body mass index, DMARDs disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, CAD coronary artery disease, CRP C-reactive protein, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CVD cardiovascular disease; and BSC Brazilian Society of Cardiology
  2. anumber of patients with positive rheumatoid factor and/or anti-CCP in any titer at any time during the clinical course of disease
  3. b number of patients with extra-articular involvement at any time during the clinical course of disease
  4. ctotal Sharp/Van der Heijde modified score (0–448)
  5. dtotal cholesterol-to-HDL ratio
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Advances in Rheumatology

ISSN: 2523-3106