Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 256 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
| Â | All RA patients (n= 256) | Anti-CII-negative RA patients (n= 248) | Anti-CII positive (> 200 AU/ml) RA patients (n= 8) | PMann Whitney/chi square |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age at inclusion (years) | 56 | 56 | 68 | NS (0.17) |
Female (%: number/total number) | 71.5 (183/256) | 71.4 (177/248) | 75.0 (6/8) | NS (0.82) |
Disease duration at inclusion (months) | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | NS (0.32) |
RF-positive, (%; number positive/total number) | 63.3 (162/256) | 62.9 (158/248) | 50.0 (4/8) | NS (0.43) |
Anti-CCP2- positive, (%;number positive/total number) | 57.8 (148/256) | 58.5 (145/248) | 37.5 (3/8) | NS (0.24) |
Anti-MCV- positive (2 patients missing) | 70.9 (180/254) | 71.1 (175/246) | 62.5 (5/8) | NS (0.60) |
CRP (mg/l) | 14 | 14 | 37 | 0.0026 |
ESR (mm/h) | 22.0 | 21.5 | 40.5 | 0.0396 |
Physician's assessment of disease activity (0-4) | 2 | 2 | 2 | NS (0.28) |
Number of swollen joints | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.5 | NS (0.82) |
Number of tender joints | 7 | 7 | 8 | NS (0.46) |
DAS28 | 5.005 | 4.990 | 5.760 | NS (0.08) |
Global VAS | 45 | 45 | 40 | NS (0.93) |
Pain VAS | 45 | 45 | 35 | NS (0.39) |
HAQ | 0.880 | 0.880 | 1.500 | 0.0303 |
Patients starting DMARD therapy at baseline (%) | 83.6 (214/256) | 83.5 (207/248) | 87.5 (7/8) | NS (0.76) |