Long-term effects of combined laser acupuncture on depressive symptoms, disease activity and C-reactive protein in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Table 2 Generalized estimating equations model of the effects of laser acupuncture treatment in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 67)

Variables	TDQ		DAS28		CRP
	Regression coefficient	P value	Regression coefficient	P value	Regression coefficient	P value
Intercept	15.67	< 0.001	3.142	< 0.001	0.37	< 0.001
Group 1 vs group 0	0.88	0.65	0.66	0.06	0.69	0.04
T1 vs T0	-0.91	0.08	-0.33	0.08	0.10	0.24
T2 vs T0	-4.21	0.03	-0.52	0.04	0.23	0.13
Interaction of T1 and group	-1.24	0.83	-0.73	0.006	-0.53	0.06
Interaction of T2 and group	-9.34	< 0.001	-1.05	0.001	-0.74	0.03

T0: Before laser acupuncture treatment (LAT) initiation; T1: 7 days after LAT initiation; T2: 3 months after LAT completion. The T1 × group interaction represents the difference between the treated and untreated groups from T0 to T1. The T2 × group interaction represents the difference between the treated and untreated groups from T0 to T2. CRP: C-reactive protein; DAS28: Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; TDQ: Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire.