Clinical and demographic characteristics of the study population
| Variable | Whole sample (n=126) | HD (n=63) | FD (n=63) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 45.15±11.52 | 46.83±10.40 | 43.48±12.40 | 0.103 |
| Male gender | 46 (36.5) | 23 (36.5) | 23 (36.5) | 1.000 |
| Clinical subset | ||||
| Axial+peripheral | 63 (50.0) | 35 (55.6) | 28 (44.4) | 0.285 |
| Peripheral | 42 (33.3) | 19 (30.2) | 23 (36.5) | 0.571 |
| Axial | 21 (16.7) | 9 (14.3) | 12 (19.0) | 0.633 |
| Mutilans | – | – | – | – |
| Concomitant MTX | 37 (29.4) | 16 (25.4) | 21 (33.3) | 0.434 |
| Disease duration (years) | 4.87±2.94 | 4.63±2.68 | 5.10±3.19 | 0.383 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 20.65±16.08 (range 6–70) | 20.38±13.49 (range 6–65) | 20.93±18.41 (range 9–70) | 0.847 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 6.03±7.45 (range 5–18) | 5.58±5.24 (range 5–16) | 6.48±9.17 (range 5–18) | 0.501 |
| SJC | 3.08±4.46 (range 3–22) | 3.84±5.76 (range 3–22) | 2.42±2.77 (range 4–18) | 0.101 |
| TJC | 14.50±10.47 (range 8–40) | 16.38±9.91 (range 8–40) | 13.02±10.74 (range 12–39) | 0.090 |
| PASI | 0.77±0.89 (range 0.5–3.5) | 0.68±0.76 (range 0.5–3.0) | 0.84±0.99 (range 0.5–3.5) | 0.353 |
| HAQ | 1.87±0.90 (range 0.5–3) | 2.02±0.75 (range 0.5–3) | 1.75±1.00 (range 0.5–2.8) | 0.131 |
| VAS | 72.3±19.5 (range 45–100) | 74.3±19.1 (range 45–100) | 72.5±22.7 (range 48–100) | 0.658 |
| Patient global VAS | 73.3±21.1 (range 50–100) | 72.7±20.0 (range 50–100) | 74.0±23.1 (range 51–100) | 0.696 |
| Tender entheseal count | 8.93±2.26 (range 4–13) | 8.72±3.87 (range 4–13) | 9.15±3.44 (range 5–13) | 0.426 |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 47 (37.3) | 28 (44.4) | 19 (30.2) | 0.140 |
| Hypertriglyceridaemia | 32 (25.4) | 20 (31.7) | 12 (19.0) | 0.151 |
| Impaired fasting glucose | 29 (23.0) | 14 (22.2) | 15 (23.8) | 1.000 |
| Hypertension | 26 (20.6) | 16 (25.4) | 10 (15.9) | 0.271 |
| Abdominal obesity | 126 (100) | 63 (100) | 63 (100) | 1.000 |
| Body weight (kg) | 86.12±6.87 | 84.96±7.19 | 87.28±6.38 | 0.058 |
| Body mass index | 31.24±2.28 | 31.32±2.00 | 31.16±2.54 | 0.703 |
Results are shown as mean±SD or number (%).
CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FD, free-diet group; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; HD, hypocaloric diet group; MTX, methotrexate; PASI, Psoriasis Area Severity Index; SJC, swollen joint count; TJC, tender joint count; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale for pain.