# Temporomandibularibular Disorders and Serological Tests in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
## 3 Results  
The study included 17 patients (15 females and 2 males) with RA, with a median age of 48 years. RF, ACPA, and ANA positivity were present in 82.4%, 52.9%, and 41.2% of patients, respectively. Indicators of tissue inflammation were evaluated with median values of 21 mm/h for ESR and 0.50 mg/dL for CRP. The RA patients presented comorbidities such as hypertension in 70.6%, diabetes in 23.5%, lung disease in 7.6%, and atherosclerosis in 11.8%; only one patient showed, in addition, hepatic steatosis and hyperuricemia (Table 1). Figure 1: DC/TMD—Symptom Questionnaire. As seen in Table 2, negative ACPA had a significant association with mylalgia (\(p=0.03\)). No other statistical significance was found between mylalgia and the other variables. Moreover, 12 patients reported mylalgia (females 91.7% and males 8.3%). Among these patients, the ESR median value was 23 mm/h, while RF positivity was present in 75% of patients. Some of the possible predictor variables and TMJ outcomes, specifically arthralgia and click, showed no significant association. The arthralgia was referred by 90.9% of females and 9.1% of males. The median ESR value was 21 mm/h, while the CRP median value was 0.50 mg/dL in patients who reported arthralgia (Table 3). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c} \hline \hline
**Characteristic** & **N = 17 1** \\ \hline Gender & 15.0 (88.2\%) \\  Male & 2.0 (11.8\%) \\  Age & 48.00 (16.00) \\  Hypertension & 12.0 (70.6\%) \\  Diabetes & 4.0 (23.5\%) \\  Hepatic Steatosis & 1.0 (5.9\%) \\  Hyperuricemia & 1.0 (5.9\%) \\  Lung Disease & 3.0 (17.6\%) \\  Atherosclerosis & 2.0 (11.8\%) \\  ESR & 21.00 (22.00) \\  CRP & 0.50 (1.04) \\  RF & 3.0 (17.6\%) \\  Acet PA & 14.0 (82.4\%) \\  Acet PA & 8.0 (47.1\%) \\  Acet PA & 9.0 (52.9\%) \\  ANA & 10.0 (58.8\%) \\  Acet PA & 7.0 (41.2\%) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Descriptive statistics on variables included in the research. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Mylgia**} \\ \hline
**Characteristic** & **No, N = 5 1** & **Yes, N = 12 1** & \(p\)**-Value 2** \\ \hline Gender & & & 0.51 \\  Female & 4.0 (80.0\%) & 11.0 (91.7\%) & \\  Male & 1.0 (20.0\%) & 1.0 (8.3\%) & \\  Age & 54.00 (19.00) & 47.00 (12.25) & 0.96 \\  Hypertension & 3.0 (60.0\%) & 9.0 (75.0\%) & 0.60 \\  Diabetes & 0.0 (0.0\%) & 4.0 (33.3\%) & 0.26 \\  Hepatic Steatosis & 0.0 (0.0\%) & 1.0 (8.3\%) & 0.99 \\  Hyperuricemia & 0.0 (0.0\%) & 1.0 (8.3\%) & 0.99 \\  Lung Disease & 2.0 (40.0\%) & 1.0 (8.3\%) & 0.19 \\  Atherosclerosis & 1.0 (20.0\%) & 1.0 (8.3\%) & 0.51 \\  ESR & 5.00 (28.00) & 23.00 (15.00) & 0.37 \\  CRP & 1.00 (1.98) & 0.40 (1.00) & 0.87 \\  RF & & & 0.51 \\  Negative & 0.0 (0.0\%) & 3.0 (25.0\%) & \\  Positive & 5.0 (100.0\%) & 9.0 (75.0\%) & \\  Acet PA & & & 0.03 \\  Negative & 0.0 (0.0\%) & 8.0 (66.7\%) & \\  Positive & 5.0 (100.0\%) & 4.0 (33.3\%) & \\  ANA & & & 0.34 \\  Negative & 4.0 (80.0\%) & 6.0 (50.0\%) & \\  Positive & 1.0 (20.0\%) & 6.0 (50.0\%) & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Association between possible predictor variables and mylgia. The click was observed in eight patients (87.7% females and 12.5% male). Patients with no click presented median values of ESR and CRP of about 19 mm/h and 1 mg/dL, respectively. Furthermore, seven patients with no click and seven patients with click were RF-positive (Table 4).