Characteristics of patients with SLE and controls, grouped by the adverse outcome at follow-up
| SLE | Controls | |||
| Incident CV and death, n=12 | Event-free, n=87 | Incident CV and death, n=4 | Event-free, n=105 | |
| Demographics at baseline | ||||
| Age, years | 56.1 (12.7)** | 46.0 (12.8) | 50.2 (11.3) | 49.0 (12.3) |
| Female gender, % | 83.3 | 87.4 | 75.0 | 91.4 |
| CV risk factors at baseline | ||||
| CRP, mg/L | 3.9 (0.9–6.6) | 1.9 (0.8–4.4) | 1.1 (0.8–5.0) | 1.0 (0.5–2.4) |
| ESR (mm/hour) | 24.8 (21.6) | 21.3 (14.9) | 12.0 (10.2) | 10.2 (8.0) |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L | 4.5 (1.3) | 4.7 (1.1) | 5.0 (0.4) | 4.8 (1.0) |
| LDL-cholesterol, mmol/L | 2.3 (0.9) | 2.6 (0.9) | 3.0 (0.2) | 2.8 (0.8) |
| HDL-cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.6 (0.5) | 1.5 (0.5) | 1.7 (0.6) |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L | 1.5 (1.1) | 1.0 (0.5) | 1.0 (0.4) | 0.8 (0.5) |
| Smoking ever, % | 66.7 | 51.7 | 75.0 | 53.3 |
| Hypertension, % | 66.7 | 50.6 | 25.0 | 24.8 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 16.7 | 2.3 | 25.0 | 1.9 |
| Dyslipidaemia, % | 41.7 | 32.2 | 50.0 | 37.1 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.9 (6.2) | 24.6 (4.3) | 24.7 (2.4) | 25.3 (4.6) |
| Waist circumference, cm | 93.3 (13.1) | 85.6 (12.3) | 83.0 (9.0) | 85.7 (12.0) |
| Family history of CV disease, % | 33.3 | 21.8 | 50.0 | 35.2 |
| Medication at baseline | ||||
| Antihypertensive, % | 50.0 | 36.8 | 25.0 | 8.6 |
| Cholesterol-lowering, % | 16.7 | 6.9 | 25.0 | 4.8 |
| ASA, % | 8.3 | 19.5 | 0 | 1.9 |
| Anticoagulants, % | 16.7 | 5.7 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Carotid measurements | ||||
| mean cIMT, µm | 714 (153)** | 591 (116) | 673 (121) | 621 (119) |
| Carotid plaque, % | 41.7 | 38.1 | 25.0 | 26.7 |
| SLE disease-specific characteristics | NA | |||
| SLE duration, years | 13.6 (7.2) | 11.4 (9.6) | ||
| SLEDAI | 5.0 (2.0–7.8) | 3.0 (1.0–5.3) | ||
| SLICC | 2.5 (1.0–3.0)** | 0 (0–1.0) | ||
| APS, % | 54.5** | 11.8 | ||
| aPL antibodies, % | 50.0 | 36.8 | ||
| Lupus nephritis, % | 44.4 | 43.4 | ||
| Current SLE medication | ||||
| DMARDs, % | 66.7 | 44.2 | ||
| HCQ, % | 41.7 | 50.6 | ||
| Prednisolone, % | 75.0 | 59.8 | ||
| Prednisolone, mg/day | 7.5 (5.0–10.0) | 5.0 (2.7–7.5) | ||
| SLE medication before inclusion | ||||
| Cyclophosphamide and/or rituximab, % | 16.7 | 24.4 | ||
| HCQ, % | 83.3 | 85.1 | ||
| Prednisolone cumulative dose, g | 27.8 (11.2–39.0) | 13.0 (5.4–24.2) | ||
| Prednisolone cumulative duration, months | 109.0 (59.0–178.8)* | 54.8 (17.5–110.0) | ||
| Prednisolone average dose, mg/day | 5.6 (2.7–8.3) | 4.5 (1.8–6.0) | ||
Values are expressed as mean (SD), median (IQR) or percentage as suitable.
P values for differences (with adverse events vs without them) are indicated as *p<0.05, **p≤0.01, ***p≤0.001.
Anticoagulants: coumarin derivatives and low molecular weight heparin; DMARDs: azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil and ciclosporin.
aPL, antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus anticoagulant, anti-cardiolipine or anti-β2-glycoproteine); APS, antiphospholipid syndrome; ASA, low-dose aspirin; BMI, body mass index; cIMT, carotid intima-media thickness; CRP, C reactive protein; CV, cardiovascular; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HCQ, hydroxychloroquine; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NA, not applicable; SLEDAI, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Diseases Activity Index (without the immunological tests); SLICC, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index.