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

Table 5 Relationships of disease activity and severity with systemic inflammation in non- or mildly active RA.

	C-reactive protein^a				Interleukin-6^a
Disease activity variable	Age and sex adjusted model		Multivariable adjusted model^b		Age and sex adjusted model		Multivariable adjusted model^b
	Partial R	P	Partial R	P	Partial R	P	Partial R	P
Swollen joints^a	0.082	0.6	0.063	0.7	-0.189	0.2	-0.147	0.3
Tender joints^a	-0.067	0.6	-0.100	0.5	-0.173	0.2	-0.168	0.3
Doctor disease activity^a	0.044	0.8	0.017	0.9	-0.126	0.4	-0.027	0.9
Patient disease activity	-0.148	0.3	-0.139	0.3	0.070	0.6	0.011	0.9
CDAI^a	-0.034	0.8	-0.060	0.7	-0.143	0.3	-0.116	0.4
Deformed joints^a	0.071	0.6	0.119	0.4	-0.081	0.6	0.013	0.9

Fifty-four patients had no or mild disease activity (CDAI = 0 to 10). ^aNon-normally distributed variables that were logarithmically transformed; ^badditionally adjusted for potential confounders of body mass index, waist:height ratio and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (see Table 3). CDAI, Clinical Disease Activity Index.

ISSN: 1478-6362