Patient characteristics at baseline
| All (N=855) | Event <10 years (N=113) | Event ≥10 years (N=41) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 54±13.8 | 62±9.7 | 55±8.7 | <0.001 |
| Sex (female), N(%) | 571 (67) | 63 (56) | 23 (56) | 0.97 |
| DAS28 | 5.0±1.3 | 5.4±1.3 | 5.5±1.3 | 0.83 |
| SJC, median (P25-P75) | 9 (5–13) | 10 (6–15) | 11 (6–15) | 0.60 |
| TJC, median (P25-P75) | 6 (2–11) | 8 (3–13) | 8 (3–13) | 0.97 |
| ESR (mm/h), median (P25-P75) | 30 (16–49) | 35 (18–48) | 39 (15–60) | 0.45 |
| VAS (mm), median (P25-P75) | 46 (27–59) | 50 (31–65) | 47 (31–60) | 0.37 |
| Rheumatoid factor (positivity), N(%) | 664 (78) | 93(82) | 35 (85) | 0.65 |
| Initial antirheumatic treatment | ||||
| Methotrexate, N (%) | 135 (16) | 28 (25) | 3 (7) | <0.001 |
| Sulfasalazine, N (%) | 525 (61) | 69 (61) | 31 (76) | 0.09 |
| Other, N (%) | 195 (23) | 29 (26) | 7 (17) | 0.27 |
| Smoking, N (%) | 256 (30) | 45 (40) | 16 (39) | 0.93 |
| BMI (weight (kg)/height (m)2) | 23.7±6.8 | 27±4.0 | 25±3.3 | 0.10 |
| Diabetes, N (%) | 29 (3.4) | 11 (10) | 1 (2) | 0.14 |
| SBP, mm Hg | 145±25 | 155±24 | 148±20 | 0.10 |
| TC, mmol/L | 5.9±2.4 | 5.2±1.4 | 5.5±1.4 | 0.27 |
| HDL-c, mmol/L | 1.5±0.6 | 1.2±0.3 | 1.4±0.4 | <0.001 |
| TC:HDL-c ratio | 4.2±0.9 | 4.5±1.2 | 4.0±0.8 | 0.01 |
| CVD prevention, N (%)† | 129 (15.1) | 30 (27) | 11 (27) | 0.97 |
Mean ± SD given unless otherwise stated. p Value for the difference between RA patients with a CVD event before and after 10 years of disease duration.
†CVD prevention represents medication use for primary prevention of CVD, including anticoagulants, ACE or angiotensin II inhibitors, β-blockers, diuretics, calcium antagonists and statins or fibrates.
BMI, body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDL-c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SJC, swollen joint count (number of swollen joints out of 28); TC, total cholesterol; TJC, tender joint count (number of tender joints out of 28); VAS, visual analogue scale.