Disease characteristics
| All | Without Disability Pension | With Disability Pension | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (%) | 104 (100) | 64 (61.5) | 40 (38.5) | NA |
| Female (%) | 86 (82.7) | 53 (82.8) | 33 (82.5) | NS |
| Age (median, IQR) | 55.5 (15) | 52.5 (18) | 58 (15) | 0.002 |
| Years since diagnosis (median, IQR) | 8.8 (12.2) | 5.8 (8.2) | 12.3 (19.1) | <0.001 |
| Number of DMARDs used (median, IQR) | 2 (2) | 1 (2) | 2 (2) | NS |
| Prednisone users (%) | 89 (85.6) | 52 (81.3) | 37 (92.5) | NS |
| NSAIDs users (%) | 75 (72.1) | 46 (71.9) | 29 (72.9) | NS |
| Acetaminophen users (%) | 68 (65.4) | 39 (60.9) | 29 (72.5) | NS |
| Tramadol users (%) | 35 (33.7) | 13 (20.3) | 22 (55) | 0.001 |
| Number of tender joints (median, IQR) | 4 (6) | 3 (5) | 6 (11) | 0.018 |
| Number of swollen joints (median, IQR) | 2 (4) | 1 (4) | 3 (8) | 0.012 |
| ESR (median, IQR) | 20.5 (21) | 16.5 (18) | 25 (31) | NS |
| VAS pain (median, IQR) | 60 (40) | 60 (40) | 80 (40) | NS |
| DAS 28 ESR (mean, SD) | 4.5 (1.6) | 4.1 (1.4) | 5 (1.8) | 0.026 |
IQR = interquartile range, DMARDs = Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, NSAIDs = Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ESR = Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, VAS = Visual Analog Scale, DAS = Disease Activity Score, NS = Not significant.