Table 2

Details of patients with very early inflammatory arthritis from whom follow-up synovial fluid samples were obtained in which neutrophil or lymphocyte apoptosis could be quantified


RA
Non-RA







Persistent
Resolving



Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte
Neutrophil
Lymphocyte

Number of patients from whom analyzable follow-up samples were available
10
7
11
11
11
13
Number of analyzable follow-up samples
16
12
25
26
17
21
Number of weeks after symptom onset when follow-up samples were collected (median [IQR])
19 (15–38)
18 (13–39)
26 (14–46)
28 (14–46)
13 (9–28)
14 (9–22)
Number of patients in whom more apoptosis was seen in a follow-up sample than in the initial sample
2
2
6
4
4
7
Treatment received prior to follow-up joint aspiration where more apoptosis was seen at follow-up
     Nil
0
1
1
0
0
1
     Parenteral steroid
0
0
1
1
4
6
     DMARD
0
0
2
1
0
0
     Parenteral steroid + DMARD
2
1
2
2
0
0
Treatment received prior to follow-up joint aspiration where no more apoptosis was seen at follow-up
     Nil
2
0
0
0
3
2
     Parenteral steroid
1
0
4
6
4
4
     DMARD
0
0
0
0
0
0
     Parenteral steroid + DMARD
5
5
1
1
0
0

DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; IQR, interquartile range; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.

Raza et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2006 8:R120   doi:10.1186/ar2009