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Table 2 Patient demographics, disease activity, and functional and structural characteristics according to serological status of RF and ACPAs: rituximab database

From: Rheumatoid factor, not antibodies against citrullinated proteins, is associated with baseline disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials

 

Patient subgroups according autoantibody status

P values of direct group comparisons

 

(1) RF−/ACPA−

(2) RF−/ACPA+

(3) RF+/ACPA−

(4) RF+/ACPA+

Overall

Pairwise comparisons

Patients, number

64

29

40

611

0.48

Not done

Age, years

52.0 (13.5)

49.2 (10.7)

46.1 (14.6)

47.5 (13.0)

0.05

Not done

Disease duration, years

1.0 (1.0)

0.7 (0.9)

0.8 (0.9)

1.0 (1.2)

0.58

Not done

Female, %

82.8

89.7

92.5

80.0

0.15

Not done

Rheumatoid factor, U/ml

<15

15.0 (0.0)

170 (199)

517 (854)

n.d.

Not done

ACPAs, U/ml

2.1 (0.3)

221 (270)

2.9 (1.1)

392 (660)

n.d.

Not done

Health assessment questionnaire

1.6 (0.6)

1.7 (0.7)

1.8 (0.6)

1.8 (0.7)

0.11

Not done

Disease activity score 28, ESR

6.9 (1.0)

6.6 (0.9)

7.1 (1.2)

7.1 (1.0)

0.0025

(1) vs. (4)*; (2) vs. (3)*; (2) vs. (4)**

Disease activity score 28, CRP

5.6 (0.8)

5.3 (0.8)

5.9 (1.0)

5.8 (0.9)

0.01

(2) vs. (3)**; (2) vs. (4)**

Simplified disease activity index

47.8 (15.0)

42.3 (12.7)

53.1 (16.5)

49.8 (14.7)

0.0076

(2) vs. (3)**; (2) vs. (4)**

Clinical disease activity index

45.0 (14.7)

39.7 (12.2)

49.9 (15.5)

46.6 (13.8)

0.0097

(2) vs. (3)**; (2) vs. (4)**

Swollen joint count

14.2 (6.6)

11.7 (5.9)

16.7 (6.5)

14.5 (6.3)

0.0094

(2) vs. (3)**; (3) vs. (4)**; (2) vs. (4)**

Tender joint count

18.0 (7.0)

14.8 (5.6)

19.4 (8.1)

18.4 (7.1)

0.02

(2) vs. (3)*; (2) vs. (4)**

Pain, VAS

58.9 (21.2)

60.9 (21.5)

61.8 (22.1)

64.2 (22.5)

0.15

Not done

Patient global assessment, VAS

64.3 (19.3)

65.0 (21.6)

68.4 (21.6)

69.0 (21.7)

0.12

Not done

Evaluator global assessment, VAS

64.1 (20.0)

67.2 (12.3)

69.6 (16.3)

68.6 (17.9)

0.35

Not done

ESR

47.5 (25.4)

51.4 (29.0)

54.2 (29.1)

61.0 (29.5)

0.0009

(1) vs. (4)***

CRP

2.7 (2.6)

2.6 (2.0)

3.2 (3.5)

3.3 (2.9)

0.23

Not done

Radiographic score

5.2 (7.9)

7.1 (8.3)

5.77 (11.7)

7.92 (11.6)

0.0066

(1) vs. (4)*; (3) vs. (4)**

  1. n.d. not determined, ACPA antibody against citrullinated proteins, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP C-reactive protein, VAS visual analogue scale
  2. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; bold P-values indicate significance at the <0.05 level. For these variables pairwise comparisons ensued