Contribution of inflammation markers and quantitative sensory testing (QST) indices of central sensitisation to rheumatoid arthritis pain

Table 5 Multivariable models exploring the relationship between each pain severity subscale and markers of disease activity, pain sensitivity, and anthropometric variables

Multivariate models		Pain severity
		Pain _Now	Pain _Strongest	Pain _Average
		(0–10)	(0–10)	(0–10)
		β	Β	β
Markers of Inflammation	DAS28-CRP (0-9.4)	0.53***	0.36***	0.31**
	US-Combined (0–48)	0.01	0.12	0.16
	Adjusted R²	0.27***	0.14***	0.12**
Markers of Inflammation and Pain Sensitivity	DAS28-CRP (0-9.4)	0.53***	0.32**	0.29**
	US-Combined (0–48)	0.02	0.13	0.18
	TS (0–10)	0.18*	0.17	-0.01
	CPM (kPa)	-0.02	-0.18	-0.20*
	Adjusted R²	0.30***	0.20***	0.15**
Discrete Markers of Inflammation and Pain Sensitivity	CRP (mg/l) †	0.36**	0.42***	0.32*
	SJC (0–28) †	0.28**	0.14	0.10
	US-SH (0–48) †	0.12	0.20	0.22
	US-PD (0–48) †	-0.08	-0.06	-0.02
	TS (0–10)	0.20*	0.16	-0.01
	CPM (kPa)	0.09	-0.06	-0.12
	Adjusted R²	0.19**	0.24***	0.16**
Markers of Disease Activity, Pain Sensitivity, and Anthropometric Variables	DAS28-CRP (mg/l)	0.53***	0.32**	0.32**
	US-Combined (0–48)	0.01	0.09	0.22*
	TS (0–10)	0.19*	0.25*	-0.02
	CPM (kPa)	-0.02	-0.19	-0.18
	Age (y)	0.03	0.06	0.17
	Sex (f)	0.04	0.16	0.10
	BMI (kg/m²)	-0.01	-0.01	-0.01
	Adjusted R²	0.28***	0.22***	0.17**

β: standardised regression coefficients, BMI: Body-Mass Index, CPM: Conditioned Pain Modulation, CRP: C-Reactive Protein, DAS28: Disease Activity Score – 28 Joints, kPa: kiloPascals, mg/l: milligrams per litre, PPT: Pain Pressure Detection Threshold, SJC: Swollen Joints Count, TJC: Tender Joints Count, TS: Temporal Summation, US-Combined: Ultrasound – Combined EULAR-OMERACT Score, US-PD: Ultrasound – Power Doppler, US-SH: Ultrasound – Synovial Hypertrophy
† Variables are distinct components of DAS28, taken to indicate inflammation without being influenced by pain severity
All p-values have been corrected for multiple comparisons (Benjamini-Hochberg)
Values in bold indicate statistical significance. * ≤0.05, ** <0.01, ***<0.001

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