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Table 1 Baseline characteristics in 77 rheumatoid arthritis patients. Values are mean [95% CI] or n (%).

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

    

   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

    

   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

    

   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

  1. CI, confidence interval; Hs, high sensitivity; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; LDL, low density lipoprotein; HDL, high density lipoprotein; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; CCA, common carotid artery.
  2. *Variables for which geometric means [95% CI] are given. †For comparison of characteristics between patients with plaque and patients without plaque.
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BMC Cardiovascular Disorders

ISSN: 1471-2261

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