Table 1

Cardiovascular risk factors in RA patients and control individuals

Risk factors

Controls

Patients

P

Traditional risk factors

Age (years)

44 (20–87)

57 (27–81)

<0.0001

Women (n [%])

64 (80)

64 (86)

0.3

Caucasian:asian (n:n)

87: 6

71: 9

0.3

Smokers (n [%])

25 (31)

17 (23)

0.3

Smoking (cigarettes/day)

0 (0–50)

0 (0–40)

0.5

Alcohol users (n [%])

37 (47)

26 (35)

0.2

Alcohol (units/week)

0 (0–40)

0 (0–35)

0.4

Exercisers (n [%])

43 (54)

19 (26)

0.0004

Exercise (hours/week)

1 (0–20)

0 (0–7)

0.0002

Diabetes (n [%])

0 (0)

5 (7)

0.02

Body mass index (kg/m²)

24.3 (17.9–33.8)

23.7 (17.9–38.3)

1.0

Waist (cm)

81 (60–109)

85 (66–120)

0.01

SBP (mmHg)

115 (83–150)

123 (98–164)

<0.0001

DBP (mmHg)

71 (47–100)

82 (67–109)

<0.0001

Total cholesterol (mmol/l)

5.3 (2.1–7.9)

5.1 (3.5–7.5)

0.4

HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)

1.5 (0.4–2.3)

1.6 (0.8–2.6)

0.4

Triglycerides (mmol/l)

1.0 (0.5–4.7)

1.2 (0.5–2.6)

0.04

Nontraditional risk factors

hs-CRP (mg/l)

1.6 (0.3–8.9)

10.8 (0.3–256)

<0.0001

IL-1 (pg/ml)

0.7 (0–42.7)

3.5 (0.1–323)

<0.0001

IL-6 (pg/ml)

0.8 (0.1–8.2)

5.4 (0.5–186.3)

<0.0001

TNF-α (pg/ml)

0.2 (0.2–32.6)

3.0 (0.3–93.2)

<0.0001

Cytokine suppressant therapy

DMARD use (n [%])

0 (0)

56 (76)

<0.0001

Prednisone use (n [%])

0 (0)

11 (15)

0.0003

Results are expressed as median (range) unless indicated otherwise. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U-test (continuous variables) or the χ² test (dichotomous variables). DBP, diastolic blood pressure; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL, interleukin; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.

Dessein et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2005 7:R634   doi:10.1186/ar1717