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Table 1 Baseline characteristics in African black subjects with and without rheumatoid arthritis

From: Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with reduced adiposity but not with unfavorable major cardiovascular risk factor profiles and enhanced carotid atherosclerosis in black Africans from a developing population: a cross-sectional study

 

Rheumatoid arthritis

 

Characteristic

Present (n= 115)

Absent (n= 159)

P-valuea

Demographics

   

   Age, years

55.7 (10.3)

56.5 (10.9)

0.5

   Female (%)

89.6

86.2

0.45

Lifestyle factors

   

   Alcohol use (%)

0

17.6

-

   Units per week, numberb

0

0.27 (1.08)

-

Exercise (%)

41.7

42.8

1.0

   Hours per week, numberb

0.1 (1.0)

1.7 (2.4)

0.0004

Anthropometric measures

   

Body mass index

29.2 (6.6)

33.7 (8.0)

<0.0001

   <20 kg/m2 (%)

5.4

2.5

0.2

   20 to 24.9 kg/m2 (%)

25.2

8.8

0.0004

   25 to 29.9 kg/m2 (%)

25.2

23.3

0.8

   >29.9 kg/m2 (%)

44.1

64.8

0.0001

   Waist circumference, cm

93.1 (13.3)

97.5 (15.0)

0.01

   Waist/height

0.58 (0.09)

0.62 (0.1)

0.0003

   Hip circumference, cm

110 (18)

116 (15)

0.002

   Waist/hipb

0.85 (1.14)

0.84 (1.13)

0.4

Cardiovascular drugs

   

   Antihypertensive agents

   

   Use (%)

53.9

40.2

0.02

   Number

1.0 (1.1)

0.5 (0.7)

<0.0001

   >1 agent (%)

36.5

8.8

<0.0001

   Diuretic (%)

38.3

39.0

1.0

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (%)

40.8

6.9

<0.0001

   Calcium channel blocker (%)

16.5

5.0

0.002

   Beta blocker (%)

3.5

0

-

   Angiotensin receptor blocker (%)

0.9

0

-

   Glucose lowering agents

   

   Oral glucose lowering agent (%)

13.9

10.1

0.3

   Insulin (%)

0.9

2.5

0.3

   Statin (%)

19.1

0

-

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent (%)

6.1

4.4

0.6

Rheumatoid arthritis characteristics

   

   Disease duration, years

12.5 (8.8)

  

   Clinical Disease Activity Indexb [58]

8.3 (2.6)

  

   <2.8 or remission (%)

17.4

  

   2.7 to 10 or mild disease activity (%)

29.6

  

   11 to 22 or moderate disease activity (%)

40.0

  

   >22 or high disease activity (%)

13.0

  

   Deformed joints, numberb

6.2 (2.7)

  

   Rheumatoid factor positive (%)

76.5

  

   Disease modifying agents

   

   Methotrexate (%)

92.2

  

   Chloroquine (%)

80.9

  

   Sulphasalazine (%)

25.2

  

   Leflunomide (%)

20.0

  

   Azathioprine (%)

14.8

  

   Tetracyclin (%)

10.4

  

   Cyclophosphamide (%)

6.1

  

   Penicillamine (%)

2.6

  
  1. Results are expressed as mean (SD) or proportions/percentages. aExcept for associations between rheumatoid arthritis status and demographic characteristics, adjusted for age and gender; bnon-normally distributed variables for which geometric mean (SD) is given.