Table 1

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with SLE and controls

SLE n=84Controls n=21P value*
Basic characteristics, mean±SD or n (%)
 Age, years45.8±13.644.3±90.63
 Gender, female75 (89.3)18 (85.7)0.70
 Smoking, current17 (20.2)4 (20)0.95
 Smoking, ever38 (45.2)10 (47.6)0.84
 Age at SLE onset, years33.8±13.8ndnd
 Disease duration, years11.9±10.8ndnd
 SLE criteria†5.5±1.30.1±0.3<0.0001
Routine laboratory, mean±SD or n (%)
 P-albumin, g/L38.1±5.143.0±3.2<0.0001
 S-creatinine, μmol/L76.6±37.365.6±10.50.18
 U-albumin (dipstick) >118 (21.6)00.13
 U-albumin (total), g/L165.4±461.23.7±3.20.0006
 U-creatinine (total), μmol/L9.0±4.98.8±4.70.81
 Salivary flow, mL/min0.2±0.40.4±0.2<0.0001
 IgA, g/L2.7±1.22.3±1.00.27
 IgG, g/L13.7±6.511.1±1.90.13
 IgM, g/L1.4±1.71.4±0.70.15
 C3, g/L0.9±0.21.0±0.20.003
 C4, g/L0.2±0.10.2±0.1<0.0001
Antibodies, n (%)
 Anti-dsDNA27 (32.5)00.002
 Anti-SSA-Ro5211 (13.1)00.20
 Anti-SSA-Ro6025 (30.1)00.003
 Anti-SSB-La13 (15.5)00.11
 Anti-Sm15 (17.9)00.06
 Anti-SmRNP22 (26.2)00.01
 Anti-RNP 6811 (13.1)00.20
 Anti-RNP A20 (23.8)00.02
 aCL IgG18 (24.3)00.01
 aCL IgM6 (8.2)00.33
 aβ2GPI IgG18 (25.0)00.01
 aβ2GPI IgM6 (8.2)00.33
Disease activity and damage indices, n (%)
 SLICC/ACR Damage Index >149 (58.3)ndnd
 SLAM >650 (59.5)ndnd
 SLEDAI >261 (72.6)ndnd
SLAM per domain >1, n (%)
 Constitutional61 (73.5)ndnd
 Integument28 (35.9)ndnd
 Eyes0ndnd
 Reticuloendothelial9 (12.0)ndnd
 Pulmonary10 (12.0)ndnd
 Cardiovascular24 (31.2)ndnd
 Gastrointestinal13 (15.5)ndnd
 Neuromotor42 (52.5)ndnd
 Joints44 (54.3)ndnd
 Laboratory55 (68.8)ndnd
  • *P value tested by Student’s t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test when log transformation did not give an approximately normal distribution. Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical data.

  • †SLE criteria were determined according to ACR 1982 classification criteria.

  • aCL, anticardiolipin; ACR, American College of Rheumatology; C, complement factor; GPI, glycoprotein I; Ig, immunoglobulin; nd, not determined; RNP, ribonucleoprotein; SLAM, Systemic Lupus Activity Measure; SLEDAI, SLE Disease Activity Index; SLICC, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics; Sm, smith; SSA/B, Sjögren’s syndrome A/B.