Baseline demographics of SLE cases and controls
| SLE cases (n=149) | Controls (n=126) | P value* | |
| Traditional cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Age, years, mean±SD | 43.2±10.1 | 46.6±10.0 | 0.006 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 78 (52.3) | 30 (23.8) | <0.001† |
| Waist circumference, cm, mean±SD | 87.3±16.7 | 89.3±17.3 | 0.34 |
| Total cholesterol to HDL ratio, mean±SD | 3.7±1.4 | 3.5±1.0 | 0.32 |
| GFR, mL/min, mean±SD | 82.4±23.0 | 82.1±19.8 | 0.89 |
| Diabetes, n (%)‡ | 14 (9.4) | 5 (4.0) | 0.08 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 13 (8.7) | 11 (8.7) | 0.99 |
| Lipoprotein(a), mg/dL, mean±SD | 46.6±45.5 | 37.3±37.8 | 0.07 |
| Fibrinogen, mg/dL, mean±SD | 329.7±103.7 | 323.6±82.6 | 0.58 |
| CRP, μg/mL, mean±SD | 3.6±7.8 | 2.9±4.4 | 0.35 |
| Homocysteine, μmoles/L, mean±SD | 11.2±4.1 | 8.6±2.6 | <0.001 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL, mean±SD | 91.0±18.5 | 96.8±18.5 | 0.01 |
| Race, n (%) | |||
| Caucasian | 92 (61.7) | 87 (69.1) | 0.29† |
| African American | 42 (28.2) | 27 (21.4) | |
| Asian | 9 (6.0) | 4 (3.2) | |
| Hispanic | 6 (4.0) | 8 (6.4) | |
| SLE-related factors | |||
| SLEDAI-2K, mean±SD | 4.0±3.6 | – | – |
| Modified ACR/SLICC-DI score, mean±SD | 1.6±1.8 | – | – |
| Anti-dsDNA titre (by Crithidia), mean±SD | 87.5±182.8 | – | – |
| Positive anti-dsDNA, n (%) | 73 (49.0) | – | – |
| Current corticosteroid dose (n=56), mg, mean±SD | 12.1±8.7 | – | – |
| C3, mg/dL, mean±SD | 97.7±28.4 | – | – |
| C4, mg/dL, mean±SD | 19.4±9.0 | – | – |
| Disease duration, years, mean±SD | 12.0±8.6 | – | – |
| GFR <50%, n (%)§ | 4 (2.7) | ||
| End-stage renal disease, n (%)§ | 5 (3.4) | ||
| Presence of proteinuria, n (%)§ | 6 (4.0) | ||
| Current medication use | |||
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 112 (75.2) | – | – |
| Corticosteroids, n (%) | 56 (37.6) | – | – |
| Immunosuppressants, n (%)¶ | 53 (35.6) | – | – |
| Oestrogen, n (%) | 13 (8.7) | 9 (7.1) | 0.63 |
| Aspirin, n (%) | 31 (20.8) | 9 (7.1) | 0.001 |
| Statin, n (%) | 11 (7.4) | 6 (4.8) | 0.37 |
Modified ACR/SLICC-DI excluding coronary artery bypass grafting, myocardial infarction, stroke and angina.
*Two-sided t-test used for continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test for proportions.
†χ2 test used.
‡Fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL or on diabetes medication or self-reported diabetes.
§Defined by ACR/SLICC-DI components.
¶Cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, ciclosporin or tacrolimus.
ACR/SLICC-DI, American College of Rheumatology Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index; CRP, C reactive protein; GFR, Glomerular filtration rate; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; SLEDAI-2K, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000.