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 4

Within- and between-group comparisons of relative changes (%) in lipid profile and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) serum level at 4 and 24 weeks.

Characteristics	ETA + MTX ( = 22)			MTX ( = 13)			Comparison between groups; ( relative change)
	Mean ± SD	Absolute change	Relative change (%)	Mean ± SD	Absolute change	Relative change (%)
Total cholesterol, mg/dL
Baseline	187.9 ± 38.1	—	—	170.6 ± 42.7	—	—	0.22
4 weeks	178.5 ± 38.6	−9.4	5.0	172.8 ± 32.7	+2.2	1.3	0.18
24 weeks	182.7 ± 44.8	−5.2	2.8	188.9 ± 33.0	+18.3	10.7	0.04
Triglycerides, mg/dL
Baseline	150.4 ± 75.1	—	—	127.4 ± 51.6	—	—	0.34
4 weeks	141.8 ± 57.4	−8.5	5.7	129.3 ± 51.9	+1.9	1.5	0.96
24 weeks	151.3 ± 61.2	+0.9	0.6	151.8 ± 74.2	+24.5	19.2	0.62
HDL-C, mg/dL
Baseline	48.1 ± 15.6	—	—	44.4 ± 6.9	—	—	0.34
4 weeks	52.0 ± 15.8**	+3.9	8.2	45.5 ± 9.8	+1.2	2.6	0.22
24 weeks	57.1 ± 13.9^†	+9.0	18.7	47.1 ± 9.7	+2.7	6.1	0.04
LDL-C, mg/dL
Baseline	100.7 ± 25.9	—	—	100.5 ± 39.2	—	—	0.99
4 weeks	99.7 ± 30.0	−1.0	1.0	101.1 ± 31.6	+0.6	0.6	0.40
24 weeks	97.3 ± 44.7	−3.4	3.4	109.6 ± 27.9	+9.0	9.0	0.24
TNF-, pg/mL
Baseline	129.14 ± 207.7	—	—	42.36 ± 23.5	—	—	0.88
4 weeks	219.7 ± 228.6*	+90.6	70.2	33.9 ± 12.9	−8.3	19.8	0.02
24 weeks	337.4 ± 205.9^‡	+208.2	161.2	50.7 ± 24.1	+8.2	19.6	0.01

ETA + MTX: etanercept plus methotrexate; MTX: methotrexate as monotherapy; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SD: standard deviation. Absolute change is the difference at 4 or 24 weeks versus baseline; relative change is the percentage change at 4 or 24 weeks versus baseline values. : relative change between groups is a comparison of the differences in relative change (%) at 4 and 24 weeks between groups. The values for the calculations were obtained with unpaired Student’s tests. Intragroup comparisons between 4 and 24 weeks versus baseline were calculated with paired Student’s -tests.
* , **, ^†, and ^‡.