Baseline characteristics of participants according to calendar time-based sub-cohorts and RA status
| 1999–2006 | 2007–2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | RA cohort (n=10 126) | Non-RA cohort (n=50 546) | RA cohort (n=10 769) | Non-RA cohort (n=53 749) |
| Sex (% of men) | 29.7 | 29.7 | 31.4 | 31.4 |
| Age (years) | 60+15 | 60+15 | 59±15 | 59±15 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.7+5.3 | 26.4+5.1 | 27.6±5.8 | 27.2±5.5 |
| Smoking status (%) | ||||
| Non-smoker | 43.8 | 50.0 | 47.4 | 56.1 |
| Ex-smoker | 20.4 | 16.6 | 30.2 | 24.2 |
| Current smoker | 24.6 | 18.7 | 22.0 | 17.6 |
| Missing | 11.3 | 14.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 |
| Alcohol drinking (%) | ||||
| Non-drinker | 18.9 | 15.9 | 19.9 | 16.6 |
| Ex-drinker | 1.5 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 2.2 |
| Current drinker | 59.7 | 60.5 | 66.6 | 68.4 |
| Missing | 19.4 | 22.7 | 10.4 | 12.8 |
| Medication use (%) | ||||
| Diuretics | 21.5 | 18.3 | 17.5 | 14.9 |
| Angiotensin II receptor antagonists | 3.5 | 3.2 | 7.4 | 6.3 |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor | 12.7 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 11.8 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 11.6 | 10.4 | 13.7 | 12.9 |
| β-blocker | 13.6 | 12.9 | 14.0 | 13.0 |
| Low-dose aspirin | 10.8 | 10.1 | 15.8 | 14.6 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 1.3±0.8 | 0.2±0.8 | 1.4±0.9 | 0.4±0.9 |
BMI, body mass index; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.