Characteristics of patients and healthy controls
| Characteristics | Controls | Patients |
|---|---|---|
| (n = 28) | (n = 37) | |
| *Values are medians (ranges) unless otherwise stated. | ||
| HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; s-CRP, serum C reactive protein; IgM-RF, IgM rheumatoid factor; DAS28, Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints’ assessment; DMARDs, disease modifying antirheumatic drugs; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; ≠, occasional use due to headache, for example. | ||
| Age (years) | 38 (24–57)* | 52 (33–84)* |
| Sex (female/male) | 20/8 | 24/13 |
| Disease duration (years) | 0 (0–0)* | 5 (1–37)* |
| Tender joints (0–28) | 0 (0–0)* | 8 (0–22)* |
| Swollen joints (0–28) | 0 (0–0)* | 6 (0–16)* |
| Morning joint stiffness (min) | 0 (0–0) | 15 (0–120) |
| HAQ (0–3) | 0 (0–0)* | 0.875 (0–2.38)* |
| s-CRP (ref. <10 mg/l) | 8 (8–16)* | 10 (8–111)* |
| IgM-RF (ref <17 kIU/l) | <10 (<10–31)* | 123 (<10–4220)* |
| IgM-RF positivity | 3.5% | 73% |
| DAS28 (serum CRP based) | NA | 4.36 (2.0–6.9) |
| Disease activity | ||
| High (>5.1) | – | 9 |
| Intermediate (3.2–5.1) | – | 23 |
| Low (2.6–3.2) | – | 0 |
| Clinical remission (<2.6) | – | 5 |
| Drugs (%) | ||
| DMARDs | – | 70 |
| Targeted biological therapy | – | 13 |
| Corticosteroids | – | 16 |
| NSAIDs | ≠ | 35 |
| Analgesics | ≠ | 29 |