Use of the Dexamethasone-Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone Test to Assess Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Table 1

Characteristics of patients*.

Age (years)	63.1 (10.5)
M:F	6:14
RA duration (years)	14.7 (10.8)
Tender joint count	18.4 (8.9)
Swollen joint count	7.6 (5.3)
CRP (mg/L)	25.5 (26.7)
Patients with erosions (%)	12 (60)
Patients with RF (%)	14 (70)
Pain (VAS, 0–100 mm)	51.8 (22.0)
Patient overall severity (VAS, 0–100 mm)	49.3 (21.6)
Fatigue(VAS, 0–100 mm)	62.2 (23.5)
Health assessment questionnaire score	1.894 (0.454)
Disease activity score (DAS28)	5.7 (1.2)

∗Mean and SD (standard deviation) unless indicated, RA: rheumatoid arthritis, CRP: C-reactive protein, VAS: visual analogue scale.