Infiltration of the synovial membrane with macrophage subsets and polymorphonuclear cells reflects global disease activity in spondyloarthropathy

Table 2 Synovial histopathology in spondyloarthropathy and rheumatoid arthritis

Feature	Spondyloarthropathy^a	Rheumatoid arthritis^a
Lining-layer thickness	1 (1–3)*	1.5 (1–3)*
Vascularity	2 (0–3)*	1.5 (0–3)*
Inflammatory infiltration	1.5 (0–3)	2 (0–3)
Plasma cells	0 (0–3)	0 (0–3)
Polymorphonuclear leukocytes	0 (0–3)	0 (0–2.5)
CD3	1.5 (0–3)	2 (0–3)
CD20	1 (0–3)	1.5 (0–3)
CD68 in lining layer	1 (0–3)	1 (0–3)
CD68 in sublining layer	0.5 (0–3)	1 (0–3)
CD163 in lining layer	1.5 (0–3)*	0.5 (0–3)*
CD163 in sublining layer	1.5 (0–3)*	0.5 (0–3)*
Lymphoid aggregates	17/65*	32/54*
CD1a	18/64*	36/50*
Anticitrulline staining	0/82*	27/59*
mAb 12A staining	1/81*	28/58*

^aResults are expressed as median (range) for semiquantitative scores and present/absent for dichotomous parameters. As indictated in Materials and methods, stained sections were scored by two blinded observers using a semiquantitative scale from 0 (lowest expression) to 3 (highest level of expression). This scale was calibrated for each marker separately and the mean of the two scores was used.
*P < 0.05.

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