Table 2

Laboratory findings in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis who were given hormone replacement therapy and the control group

HRT

Controls

Laboratory test

Baseline

12 months

24 months

Baseline

12 months

24 months

Serum TNF-α (pg/ml)

4.1 ± 0.4 (32)

3.8 ± 0.4 (30)

3.6 ± 0.4 (32)

4.4 ± 0.5 (44)

4.1 ± 0.3 (43)

4.2 ± 0.4 (44)

Serum IL-1Ra (pg/ml)

501 ± 49 (35)

678 ± 82 (32)^††

558 ± 85 (35)

494 ± 77 (45)

596 ± 104 (45)^†

606 ± 128 (45)

Serum IL-6 (pg/ml)

25.7 ± 6.3 (35)

25.1 ± 8.3 (32)

23.1 ± 5.2 (35)

23.2 ± 4.3 (45)

27.1 ± 4.5 (45)

25.6 ± 5.4 (45)

Serum sIL-6R (pg/ml)

851 ± 46 (34)

801 ± 41 (31)^‡

790 ± 36 (34)^†,‡

771 ± 31 (45)

794 ± 35 (45)

804 ± 34 (45)

Serum OPG (pg/ml)

104 ± 19 (30)

133 ± 29 (28)^‡

112 ± 19 (30)

114 ± 14 (43)

109 ± 13 (43)

120 ± 13 (43)

Serum IGF-1 (ng/ml)

80.3 ± 4.9 (29)

81.0 ± 4.0 (24)

92.6 ± 4.6 (29)^‡

78.6 ± 5.3 (40)

78.3 ± 5.0 (40)

77.7 ± 3.9 (40)

ESR (mm)

32.5 ± 3.2 (35)

29.0 ± 3.2 (35)

24.3 ± 2.2 (35)^††,‡

27.3 ± 2.3 (43)

26.6 ± 2.9 (41)

26.7 ± 2.7 (43)

Serum estradiol (pmol/l)

44.4 ± 8.6 (27)

176.7± 31.4 (22)^{†††,‡‡‡}

160.9 ± 18.7 (27)^{†††,‡‡‡}

38.0 ± 4.4 (36)

39,0 ± 5,9 (36)

38,9 ± 6,6 (36)

Results for patients with both baseline and 24-month data available with corresponding 12-month data are shown. Values are means ± standard error of the mean. Numbers of patients for whom data were available are shown in parentheses. For comparison with baseline, ^†P ≤ 0.05, ^††P < 0.01, ^†††P < 0.001. For comparison with controls from baseline, ^‡P ≤ 0.05, ^‡‡P < 0.01, ^‡‡‡P < 0.001. ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; IGF-1 = insulin-like growth factor 1; IL-1Ra = IL-1-receptor antagonist; OPG = osteoprotegerin; sIL-6R = soluble IL-6 receptor; TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor α.

d'Elia et al. Arthritis Res Ther 2003 5:R202   doi:10.1186/ar761