Table 1 Baseline population characteristics and comparison between cases and controls
RA population, N = 170 | HDO patients, N = 35 | Patients with continuous follow-up, N = 135 | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Socio demographics | ||||
Female gender, N° (%) of patients | 152 (89.4) | 32 (91.4) | 120 (88.9) | 1 |
Age at baseline, years | 38.2 ± 12.6 | 37.5 ± 9.7 | 38.4 ± 13.2 | 0.6 |
Years of formal education | 11 ± 3.8 | 10.1 ± 3.4 | 11.3 ± 3.8 | 0.10 |
Disease characteristics* | ||||
Disease duration, months | 5.3 (3.5–7) | 4.6 (3–6) | 5.5 (3.5–7.2) | 0.10 |
% of patients with RF /ACCP | 82.9/84.7 | 77.1/77.1 | 84.4/86.7 | 0.3/0.2 |
DAS28 | 6 (4.9–7) | 6.2 (5.3–7.6) | 5.9 (4.7–6.8) | 0.06 |
N° swollen joints (0–28) | 13 (8–18) | 15 (10–21) | 13 (8–17) | 0.05 |
HAQ | 1.4 (0.9–2.1) | 1.5 (1–2.1) | 1.4 (0.7–2.1) | 0.3 |
SF-36 | 36.4 (26.2–53) | 31.3 (21.9–45.2) | 38.8 (27.6–54.9) | 0.02 |
N° (%) patients with comorbidities | 82 (48.2) | 11 (31.4) | 71 (52.6) | 0.04 |
Charlson score* | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 0.09 |
Referral treatment | ||||
N° (%) of patients on corticosteroids | 55 (32.4) | 9 (25.7) | 46 (34.1) | 0.4 |
N° (%) of patients on DMARD | 83 (48.8) | 14 (40) | 69 (51.1) | 0.3 |
N° of DMARD/patient*,a | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–1.2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.2 |