Discrepancy in Participant Numbers Between Text and Table in a Study
Hi everyone, I’m a little confused about an article I’m reviewing for data extraction and was wondering if someone could help clarify this.
The study reports in the abstract and text that 23 female patients (16 with DM^ and 7 with PM*) were included. However, in one of the tables, it shows DM (n=35), and the number of controls also seems to differ from what is reported in the text.
The study is:
Souza FHC, Araújo DB, Silva CA, Miossi R, Abdo CHN, Bonfá E, Shinjo SK. Analysis of sexual function of patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis through self-administered questionnaires: a cross-sectional study. Rev Bras Reumatol Engl Ed. 2017 Mar-Apr;57(2):134-140. English, Portuguese. doi: 10.1016/j.rbre.2016.11.002. Epub 2016 Dec 5. PMID: 28343618.
Am I missing something about how the participants were categorized, or could this be a discrepancy in the paper?
For data extraction, would you use the numbers reported in the text/abstract or the numbers presented in the table? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
^DM=dermatomyositis, *PM=polymyositis