Modifications in Lipid Levels Are Independent of Serum TNF-α in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of an Observational 24-Week Cohort Study Comparing Patients Receiving Etanercept Plus Methotrexate or Methotrexate as Monotherapy

Table 2

Correlations () between baseline tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) serum levels and selected variables.

Characteristic	TNF-α (pg/mL); = 35
	Age	−0.041	0.81
Disease duration	0.058	0.74
Joint tenderness count	0.079	0.65
Joint swelling count	0.035	0.84
DAS-28 score	0.061	0.72
HAQ-DI score	0.247	0.15
Disease activity (physician)	0.304	0.07
Total cholesterol	0.031	0.86
Triglycerides	−0.131	0.45
HDL-C	−0.114	0.51
LDL-C	−0.227	0.19
Rheumatoid factor	0.255	0.16
C-reactive protein	−0.089	0.63

HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low density lipoprotein cholesterol; DAS-28: disease activity score; HAQ-DI: Health Assessment Quest-Disability Index; disease activity was assessed by the physician using a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 100 mm. Joint swelling or tenderness counts were taken from 28 joints. Correlations were computed with Pearson correlation test.