OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether gender is an independent factor associated 
with disease expression in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
METHODS: 438 patients with early RA (disease duration less than one year) were 
studied. They all were patients with early RA who presented at the Rheumatology 
Clinic of the University Hospital of Ioannina during the period 1991-2000. All 
patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA. The 
demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological and therapeutic characteristics 
of the disease at diagnosis, and at the last follow-up were analyzed according 
to gender.
RESULTS: We studied 312 women and 126 men with early RA. The female to male 
ratio was 2.5:1 and the mean age at diagnosis was 49.4 +/- 14.9 years for women 
and 55.3 +/-15.6 years for men (P < 0.0003). Women had a longer duration of 
follow-up (P < 0.0003). There were no differences between genders in the general 
symptoms or the simmetricity of joint involvement at at disease onset. However 
at disease onset women had a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (> 30 
mm/1st hour), although there were no significant differences between the two 
groups concerninig the rest of the clinical, laboratory and radiological 
findings. At the last follow-up women still had a higher ESR (>30 min/1st hour), 
but no significant differences were found between the two groups concerning the 
rest of the parameters investigated independently of the follow-up duration. 
Finally, women and men showed the same degree of radiological changes and 
functional ability and were treated similarly except for the more frequent use 
of hydroxychloroquine in women.
CONCLUSION: It seems that gender does not signficantly influence the expression 
of RA.