Table 1

Characteristics of the Georgians Organized Against Lupus cohort of patients with SLE in September 2013–November 2014, overall and by categorised age at survey

Age at survey, years
CharacteristicNOverall20–39
N=198 (29.0%)
40–59
N=362 (52.9%)
≥60
N=124 (18.1%)
p Value*
Sociodemographic
Mean (SD) age at survey68447.8 (13.0)32.3 (5.1)49.8 (5.7)66.9 (5.7)<0.001
% Male6845.6%5.6%5.8%4.8%0.92
Race, %6840.16
 White19.6%19.2%18.0%25.0%
 African-American78.5%77.3%81.0%74.2%
 Other1.9%3.5%1.4%0.8%
% Hispanic/Latino6805.0%7.1%4.7%2.4%0.16
Marital status, %684<0.001
 Never married32.5%58.1%26.26%9.7%
 Married32.6%18.2%37.1%42.7%
 Separated, divorced, widowed34.9%23.7%36.7%47.6%
Mean (SD) years of education67314.6 (3.1)14.6 (2.9)14.6 (3.0)14.9 (3.5)0.64
Employment, %684<0.001
 Employed37.3%45.0%38.7%21.0%
 Not employed†24.9%19.2%16.9%57.3%
 Disabled37.9%35.9%44.5%21.8%
Income, %630<0.001
 <US$20 00041.1%47.6%42.9%24.6%
 US$20 000–$49 99927.0%30.2%22.7%34.6%
 ≥US$50 00031.9%22.2%34.4%40.9%
% Always/usually have emotional support68456.7%57.6%53.3%65.3%0.06
Clinical
Mean (SD) age at onset68432.4 (12.2)21.8 (6.1)33.8 (9.5)45.3 (11.8)<0.001
Age at onset, %684<0.001
 Paediatric (<18 years)10.5%26.3%4.7%2.4%
 Early adult (18–49 years)81.0%73.7%91.7%61.3%
 Late adult (≥50 years)8.5%0.0%3.6%36.3%
Mean (SD) duration of SLE, years68415.4 (9.6)10.5 (5.9)15.9 (9.3)21.6 (11.3)<0.001
% SLE onset within past 10 years68433.6%49.5%31.2%15.3%<0.001
Mean (SD) BMI64429.3 (7.8)28.1 (7.7)30.0 (8.1)29.3 (6.8)0.03
Renal involvement‡, %63330.2%41.5%27.7%21.3%<0.001
Median (IQR) PHQ-9 score6837 (3–12)7 (3–12)8 (4–13)6 (2–10)0.004
Median (IQR) BILD score6843 (1–5)2 (1–3)3 (1–5)4 (2–5)<0.001
Median (IQR) SLAQ score68415 (9–23)15 (9–23)17 (10–24)15 (8–20)0.22
Mean (SD) LIT score68241.8 (24.1)40.9 (24.0)43.9 (24.4)37.1 (22.6)0.02
  • *By χ2, Fisher's exact, analysis of variance or non-parametric equality-of-medians test, as appropriate.

  • †Includes retired, student and homemaker population.

  • ‡From American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria.

  • BILD, Brief Index of Lupus Damage; BMI, body mass index; LIT, Lupus Impact Tracker; PHQ-9, nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire; SLAQ, Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.