Table 3 Effect of the shared epitope on joint destruction related to disease duration.
| Disease duration | RA without destruction (n = 534) | RA with destruction (n = 396) | OR | χ2 | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 2 years | SE −/− | 22 | 7 | 1 | ||
| SE +/− | 36 | 10 | 0.87 | 0.06 | NS | |
| SE +/+ | 8 | 4 | 1.57 | 0.36 | NS | |
| Between 2 and 10 years | SE −/− | 198 | 66 | 1 | ||
| SE +/− | 150 | 112 | 2.24 | 18.50 | <0.001 | |
| SE +/+ | 42 | 42 | 3.00 | 18.61 | <0.001 | |
| More than 10 years | SE −/− | 47 | 34 | 1 | ||
| SE +/− | 25 | 79 | 4.36 | 22.12 | <0.001 | |
| SE +/+ | 6 | 42 | 9.67 | 25.81 | <0.001 |
OR, odds ratio; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SE, shared epitope.