Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Marine and Botanical Oils: An 18-Month, Randomized, and Double-Blind Trial
Table 1
Baseline characteristics in the three randomized groups.
Mean (SD) or median [IQR] ( = total) or percent ( = num) ( = total)
Borage group ()
Combination group ()
Fish group ()
value
Body mass index (kg/m2)
29.4 (7.1) ()
30.4 (8.2) ()
31.4 (9.5) ()
0.499
Female
76.9 ()
80.0 ()
86.8 ()
0.415
Age
60.3 (9.2)
60.5 (13.0)
57.3 (12.3)
0.295
Black/African-American
7.8 () ()
2.2 () ()
7.8 () ()
0.428**
Does subject exercise? (yes)
57.7 ()
51.1 ()
50.9 ()
0.738
Rheumatoid factor positive
73.9 () ()
83.9 () ()
72.7 () ()
0.491
Log ESR value
2.9 (1.1) ()
2.7 (1.0) ()
3.05 (1.0) ()
0.199
CRP value
0.6 0.3–1.5 ()
0.6 0.4–2.7 ()
0.8 0.4–1.7 ()
0.415*
Disability index (mHAQ)
0.5 0.1–0.7 ()
0.5 0.1–0.9 ()
0.5 0.1–0.9 ()
0.788*
Clinical Disease Activity Index
34.4 (11.5)
36.0 (12.6)
35.8 (11.3)
0.763
Simplified Disease Activity Index
33.1 (27.0–47.1) ()
34.1 (28.8–50.2) ()
35.5 (30.8–46.2) ()
0.442
Disease activity score
5.0 4.1–5.8 ()
4.8 3.9–5.7 ()
5.2 4.4–6.0 ()
0.404*
DAS remission (<2.6)
3.8 () ()
4.6 () ()
2.0 () ()
0.859**
Total number of tender joints
12.5 7.5–18.0
11.0 7.0–18.0
12.0 8.0–20.0
0.936*
Total number of swollen joints
12.0 8.0–15.0
12.0 8.0–19.0
12.0 8.0–18.0
0.733*
Physician global
3.8 3.0–5.8
4.0 3.0–6.3
4.1 3.0–7.0
0.646*
Patient global
5.0 3.0–6.7
5.5 4.0–7.0
5.0 2.8–6.5
0.435*
Patients taking methotrexate
61.5 ()
68.9 ()
64.1 ()
0.748
Patients taking NSAIDS
28.8 ()
31.1 ()
26.4 ()
0.876
Patients taking corticosteroid
21.1 ()
24.4 ()
28.3 ()
0.696
Patients taking DMARDS
71.1 ()
77.8 ()
69.8 ()
0.647
Patients taking TNF blockers
50.0 ()
44.4 ()
50.9 ()
0.791
Morning stiffness (minutes)
60.0 30.0–180.0 ()
60.0 35.0–120.0 ()
60.0 42.5–120.0 ()
0.439*
Duration of rheumatoid arthritis (years)
7.4 3.0–15.3 ()
12.2 4.4–18.0 ()
6.3 4.2–18.9 ()
0.349*
value is from a Kruskal-Wallis test, median with the 25th and the 75th percentile is shown. value is from a Fisher’s exact test. All other values come from a -test or chi-square.