Patient characteristics and clinical markers by educational attainment
| n | Median (interquartile range) or count (percentage) | Percentage above median or positive for characteristic | p Value for trend (age and sex adjusted analysis) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University/ National diploma (n=74) | “A” level/ vocational training (n=210) | “O” level/CSE (n=127) | None/no CSEs (n=274) | ||||||
| Age (years) | 685 | 56 (44–65) | 29.7 | 42.4 | 33.9 | 52.2 | — | ||
| Female (%) | 685 | 442 (64.5) | 47.3 | 54.8 | 82.7 | 68.3 | — | ||
| Clinical markers at presentation visit | |||||||||
| HAQ4-150 | 685 | 0.5 (0.125–1.625) | 29.7 | 39.1 | 44.1 | 53.7 | 0.002 | ||
| ESR4-150 | 572 | 34 (17–58) | 45.1 | 49.7 | 44.7 | 47.6 | >0.2 | ||
| Joint score | 684 | 14 (7–25) | 40.5 | 47.1 | 33.9 | 55.3 | 0.13 | ||
| Pain score | 660 | 41 (22–61) | 40.3 | 45.4 | 50.4 | 54.9 | 0.04 | ||
| Grip strength | 684 | 140 (95–210) | 64.4 | 54.3 | 44.9 | 43.1 | 0.06 | ||
| Clinical markers at three years | |||||||||
| HAQ | 649 | 0.75 (0.25–1.375) | 35.2 | 40.3 | 53.7 | 53.5 | 0.002 | ||
| ESR | 535 | 20 (10–41) | 48.5 | 40.4 | 56.9 | 50.5 | >0.2 | ||
| Joint score | 646 | 7 (2–16.5) | 26.8 | 45.3 | 43.0 | 51.4 | 0.006 | ||
| Pain score | 644 | 27 (7–50) | 40.9 | 46.2 | 58.5 | 54.7 | 0.006 | ||
| Grip strength | 648 | 170 (115–260) | 65.2 | 53.2 | 39.7 | 42.8 | 0.003 | ||
↵4-150 HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate.