Baseline characteristics (N=1375)
| HZ case (n=275) | Control (n=1100) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | p Value | |
| Age at entry, years | |||
| Mean±SD | 55.3±12.7 | 55.3±12.7 | 1.00 |
| RA disease duration | 10.0±4.7 | 10.1±4.7 | 0.704 |
| Year | |||
| 20–49 | 90 (32.7%) | 360 (32.7%) | |
| 50–64 | 123 (44.7%) | 492 (44.7%) | |
| ≥65 | 62 (22.5%) | 248 (22.5%) | |
| Gender | 0.86 | ||
| Female | 215 (78.2%) | 868 (78.9%) | |
| Male | 60 (21.8%) | 232 (21.1%) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.7±4.4 | 24.0±4.1 | 0.535 |
| Smoking history | 29 (10.5%) | 85 (7.7%) | 0.163 |
| CRP, mg/dL | 1.75±0.58 | 0.98±0.47 | 0.04 |
| Comorbidity | |||
| HT | 96 (34.9%) | 235 (21.4%) | <0.001 |
| CKD | 52 (18.9%) | 118 (10.7%) | <0.001 |
| DM | 42 (15.3%) | 114 (10.4%) | 0.03 |
| Malignancies | 8 (2.9%) | 50 (4.5%) | 0.30 |
| Medication used | |||
| NSAID | 212 (77.1%) | 546 (49.6%) | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate | 148 (53.8%) | 216 (19.6%) | <0.001 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 205 (74.5%) | 435 (39.5%) | <0.001 |
| Sulfasalazine | 135 (49.1%) | 210 (19.1%) | <0.001 |
| Leflunomide | 13 (4.7%) | 24 (2.2%) | 0.03 |
| Corticosteroids | 242 (88.0%) | 450 (40.9%) | <0.001 |
| Anti-TNF biologicals* | 55 (20.0%) | 68 (6.2%) | <0.001 |
| Non-anti-TNF biologicals† | 15 (5.5%) | 42 (3.8%) | 0.29 |
Bold text indicates that a p value of <0.05 and considered statistically significant.
*Including adalimumab, etanercept and golimumab.
†Including rituximab, tocilizumab and abatacept.
BMI, body mass index; CKD, chronic kidney disease; CRP, C reactive protein; DM, diabetes mellitus; HT, hypertension; HZ, herpes zoster; NSAID, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.