Demographic, clinical and biological characteristics of the SLE cohort
| Characteristics | SLE cohort (n=118) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 45.4 (14.2) |
| Female, n (%) | 100 (84.7) |
| Asian ethnicity*, n (%) | 57 (48.3) |
| Caucasian ethnicity*, n (%) | 57 (48.3) |
| Disease duration (years), median (IQR) | 7.2 (3.9–14.7) |
| SLEDAI-2K at baseline, median (IQR) | 3 (2–6) |
| Active disease (SLEDAI-2K >4), n (%) | 39 (33.1) |
| AMS, median (IQR) | 3.5 (1.9–5.6) |
| AMS >4, n (%) | 49 (43) |
| Domain-specific disease activity at baseline†, n (%) | |
| Fever | 0 (0) |
| Neurological | 4 (3.4) |
| Renal | 21 (17.8) |
| Mucocutaneous | 23 (19.5) |
| Musculoskeletal | 10 (8.5) |
| Serosal | 2 (1.7) |
| Vascular | 0 (0) |
| Serological | 85 (72) |
| Haematological | 3 (2.5) |
| Flare‡ at baseline, n (%) | 28 (23.7) |
| Flare‡ over time, n (%) | 83 (70.3) |
| SDI at baseline, median (IQR) | 1 (0–2) |
| SDI >0, n (%) | 73 (62.4) |
| Patients with damage accrual (∆SDI >0), n (%) | 29 (25.2) |
| Treatment at baseline, n (%) | |
| Prednisone | 67 (56.8) |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 103 (87.3) |
| Immunosuppressants§ | 57 (48.3) |
| Clinical laboratory data at baseline | |
| CRP (mg/L), median (IQR) | 1.6 (0.7–3.5) |
| ESR (mm/hour), median (IQR) | 15 (7–28) |
| UPCR (g/mmol), mean (SD) | 0.06 (0.13) |
| Proteinuria¶, n (%) | 18 (15.8) |
| C3 (g/L), mean (SD) | 0.9 (0.3) |
| C4 (g/L), mean (SD) | 0.2 (0.1) |
| Anti-dsDNA positivity, n (%) | 62 (52.5) |
Data are expressed as mean (SD), median (IQR) or as number (percentage).
*Other ethnicities included Hispanic (1; 0.8%), Maori (2; 1.7%) and Samoan (1; 0.8%).
†Individual organ domain disease activity was assessed by the SLEDAI-2K.
‡Encompasses mild, moderate and severe flares.
§Immunosuppressants include methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolate acid, leflunomide, ciclosporin A and/or cyclophosphamide.
¶Proteinuria defined as UPCR >0.05 g/mmol, using SLEDAI-2K cut-off.
AMS, adjusted mean SLEDAI-2K; CRP, C reactive protein; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; SDI, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index; SLEDAI-2K, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000; UPCR, urine protein to creatinine ratio.