From: Aminotransferases are associated with insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis
Characteristic | All patients (n = 77) | Patients with plaque (n = 25) | Patients without plaque (n = 52) | p†|
---|---|---|---|---|
Age (years) | 54 [51–56] | 60 [57–63] | 51 [48–54] | 0.0002 |
Women | 64 (83) | 21 (84) | 43 (83) | 0.9 |
Caucasian: Asian | 69 (90): 8 (10) | 23 (92): 2 (8) | 46 (88): 6 (12) | 0.6 |
Life style factors | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   Current smokers | 17 (22) | 8 (32) | 9 (17) | 0.2 |
   Current smoking (cigarettes/day)* | 0.8 [0.4–1.4] | 1.5 [0.4–3.3] | 0.6 [0.2–1.2] | 0.2 |
   Current alcohol users | 26 (34) | 9 (36) | 17 (33) | 0.8 |
   Current alcohol (units/week)* | 1 [0.6–1.6] | 1.2 [0.4–2.6] | 1.0 [0.4–1.7] | 0.7 |
   Current exercisers | 22 (29) | 6 (25) | 16 (31) | 0.6 |
   Exercise (hours/week)* | 0.5 [0.3–0.8] | 0.4 [0.1–0.9] | 0.6 [0.3–0.9] | 0.6 |
Disease duration (years)* | 6.6 [4.9–8.7] | 9.2 [5.6–15.2] | 5.6 [4.0–7.8] | 0.1 |
Rheumatoid factor positive | 61 (79) | 19 (76) | 42 (81) | 0.6 |
Acute phase reactants | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   Hs-C-reactive protein (mg/l)* | 7.4 [5.4–10.2] | 9.4 [5.8–15.2] | 6.7 [4.3–10.2] | 0.3 |
   ESR (mm/hr)* | 14 [10–18] | 11 [7–17] | 15 [10–21] | 0.3 |
Other cardiovascular risk factors | Â | Â | Â | Â |
   Waist circumference (cm) | 86 [83–88] | 88 [83–93] | 85 [81–88] | 0.3 |
   Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.4 [23.4–25.3] | 24.2 [22.8–26.0] | 24.3 [23.1–25.6] | 0.9 |
   Hypertension | 34 (44) | 19 (76) | 15 (29) | 0.0002 |
   Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127 [124–131] | 131 [124–138] | 125 [121–129] | 0.1 |
   Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 82 [80–84] | 81 [78–85] | 82 [80–85] | 0.6 |
   Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.1 [4.9–5.3] | 5.0 [4.6–5.3] | 5.1 [4.9–5.4] | 0.5 |
   LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 2.9 [2.7–3.0] | 2.8 [2.5–3.1] | 2.9 [2.7–3.1] | 0.5 |
   HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.6 [1.5–1.7] | 1.7 [1.5–1.9] | 1.6 [1.5–1.7] | 0.5 |
   Triglycerides (mmol/l)* | 1.1 [1.0–1.2] | 1.2 [1.0–1.4] | 1.0 [0.9–1.1] | 0.08 |
   HOMA-IR (uU.mmol/ml.l)* | 1.15 [1.02–1.29] | 1.45 [1.18–1.77] | 1.03 [0.90–1.19] | 0.009 |
   Glucose (mmol/l) | 4.3 [4.2–4.5] | 4.3 [4.2–4.5] | 4.5 [4.2–4.5] | 0.8 |
   Diabetes | 3 (4) | 0 (0) | 3 (6) | 0.3 |
   Hypothyroidism | 19 (25) | 10 (40) | 9 (17) | 0.03 |
Framingham score* | 4 [4–5] | 6 [5–8] | 4 [3–5] | 0.009 |
CCA intima-media thickness (mm) | 0.65 [0.63–0.68] | 0.73 [0.69–0.78] | 0.62 [0.60–0.64] | 0.0001 |