Demographic, clinical and biological characteristics of the SLE cohort
| Characteristics | SLE cohort (n=64) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 39.3 (12.5) |
| Female, n (%) | 52 (81%) |
| Asian ethnicity, n (%) | 24 (38%) |
| Disease duration (years), median (IQR) (range) | 8.2 (3.5–15.4) (1.2–32.3) |
| SLEDAI-2K, median (IQR) (range) | 4 (2–7) (0–22) |
| SLEDAI-2K>4, n (%) | 26 (41%) |
| SLEDAI-2K>4 & <10, n (%) | 14 (22%) |
| SLEDAI-2K≥10, n (%) | 12 (19%) |
| Active renal disease*, n (%) | 16 (25%) |
| Flare†, n (%) | 11 (18%) |
| SLICC-SDI, median (IQR) (range) | 0 (0–1) (0–4) |
| SLICC-SDI >0, n (%) | 28 (44%) |
| Biopsy-confirmed LN, n (%) | 28 (44%) |
| Treatment | n (%) |
| Prednisone | 38 (59%) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 59 (92%) |
| Immunosuppressants‡ | 35 (55%) |
| Biologics | 2 (3%) |
| Clinical laboratory data | |
| CRP (mg/L), median (IQR) (range) | 1.8 (0.8–3.9) (0.2–37.6) |
| ESR (mm/h), median (IQR) (range) | 14 (7–34) (2–118) |
| UPCR (g/mmol), median (IQR) (range) | 0.02 (0.01–0.04) (0–2.22) |
| Proteinuria§ | 14 (23%) |
| C3 (g/L), median (IQR) (range) | 0.9 (0.7–1.1) (0.4–1.9) |
| C4 (g/L), median (IQR) (range) | 0.1 (0.1–0.2) (0.03–0.5) |
| ANA + (≥1280) | 46 (73%) |
| Anti-dsDNA + | 32 (53%) |
| Anti-Sm Ab + | 11 (17%) |
| Serum and urinary cytokines | Median (IQR) (range) |
| Serum MIF detectability, n (%) | 39/39 (100%) |
| Serum MIF (pg/mL) | 9259 (3655–12621) (1404–38 823) |
| uMIF detectability, n (%) | 64/64 (100%) |
| uMIF (pg MIF/µmol creatinine) | 1166 (653–1882) (150–15 509) |
| uMCP-1detectability, n (%) | 27/39 (69%) |
| uMCP-1 (pgMCP-1/µmol creatinine) | 6.5 (2, 30) (0.3, 535) |
Data are expressed as mean (SD), median (IQR) (range) or as number (percentage) N: number of individuals in cohort
*Defined as renal SLEDAI-2K>0
†Encompasses mild, moderate and/or severe flares
‡Immunosuppressants include: methotrexate, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolate acid, cyclophosphamide and/or leflunomide
§Proteinuria defined as UPCR>0.05 g/mmol
Ab, antibody; ANA, antinuclear antibody; C3, complement component 3; C4, complement component 4; CRP, C reactive protein; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; LN, lupus nephritis; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; MIF, macrophage migration inhibitory factor; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; SLEDAI-2K, SLE Disease Activity Index 2000; SLICC-SDI, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics-SLE Damage Index; Sm, Smith; UPCR, urine protein/creatinine ratio.