Fig. 2

The relation between the MAC and LAR in RA patients and healthy individuals. The black dots represent RA patients and the open dots represent healthy individuals in the scatter plot of the MAC and the LAR. The LAR is inversely correlated with the MAC in both groups (Pearson’s product–moment correlation: r = −0.89, p < 0.01 for RA patients; r = −0.88, p < 0.01 for healthy individuals). In the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with MAC as the covariant, there were significant interaction terms between MAC and the groups (p < 0.01). The regression slope of the RA patients is twice that of the healthy patients (RA patients, −0.19; healthy individuals, −0.09). LAR, low activity ratio; MAC, mean activity count; RA, rheumatoid arthritis