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