Cohort characteristics
| Control* (n=322) | SLE* (n=437) | |
| Demographic data | ||
| Age (years) | 48.2 (35.4–58.6) | 47.2 (34.3–58.0) |
| Gender (Female) | 92% | 92% |
| BMI | 24.4, n=253 (22.1–27.7) | 24.0, n=424 (21.4–27.2) |
| Clinical data | ||
| Disease duration (years) | NR | 10.6 (2.8–20.9) |
| SLE criteria† | NR | 6 (5–7) |
| SLAM | NR | 6 (4–10) |
| SLEDAI-2K | NR | 4 (0–7) |
| SLICC48 | NR | 1 (0–2) |
| BILAG Renal | NR | A/B: n=42 C/D/E: n=363 |
| PtGDA (n=132) | NR | 3 (1–7) |
| Nephritis ever‡ | NR | 41% |
| Other chronic disease§ | Fibromyalgia: n=3 Psoriasis: n=3 Psoriatic arthritis: n=2 | Fibromyalgia: n=3 Psoriasis: n=8 Rheumatoid arthritis: n=4 |
| Medication¶ | ||
| Methotrexate | NR | 5% |
| Hydroxychloroquine** | NR | 38% |
| Azathioprine | NR | 17% |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | NR | 12% |
| Prednisolone†† | NR | 39% with pred. dose=0 mg 25% with pred. dose>7.5 mg |
*Median (25% quantile–75% quantile).
†American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria.
‡Nephritis according to ACR criteria.
§Chronic disease according to participants self-reported data.
¶Per cent of patients on medication. No patients were on anti-TNF therapy.
**The low usage of hydroxychloroquine in this cohort is due to that the inclusion of patients started 2004, that is, at a time when the beneficial effects of hydroxychloroquine were not established.
††Low disease activity (LLDAS) dose of prednisolone set to >7.5 mg as suggested by Franklyn et al.49
BILAG, British Isles Lupus Assessment Group, Renal index; BMI, body mass index; NR, not reported; PtGDA, Patients Global Disease Activity; SLAM, SLE Activity Measure; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; SLEDAI-2K, SLE Disease Activity Index; SLICC, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics.