ESR1 and rheumatoid arthritis: Patients with RA had experienced their disease for a mean ± standard error of the mean of 7.6 ± 2.6 years, had 23.2 ± 3.7 swollen joints and 23.3 ± 2.8 tender joints, had increased pain and physical component summary scores, and exhibited elevated values for ESR, CRP, and IL-6 (Table 1).