Baseline characteristics of the SLE and control groups
| Variables | Control group (n=73) | SLE group (n=73) | P value |
| Age (years) | 52.0 (9.5) | 52.3 (9.8) | 0.851 |
| Hypertension | 4 (5.5) | 33 (45.2) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 3 (4.1) | 5 (6.8) | 0.719 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 25 (34.2) | 38 (52.1) | 0.030 |
| Smoking (packs/year) | 0.0 (0.0–9.8) | 2.5 (0.0–16.3) | 0.130 |
| Dietary questionnaire (score) | 12 (10–13) | 11 (9–12) | 0.003 |
| Physical activity (score) | 2 (1–3) | 1 (0–2) | 0.001 |
| Menopause | 43 (58.9) | 37 (50.7) | 0.031 |
| Premature menopause, <40 years | 1 (1.4) | 9 (12.3) | |
| Family history of CVD | 35 (47.9) | 33 (45.2) | 0.740 |
| Statins | 8 (11.0) | 33 (45.2) | <0.001 |
| Antiplatelets/anticoagulants | 0 (0.0) | 20 (27.4) | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 89.3 (13.2) | 88.8 (12.9) | 0.812 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.8 (22.6–28.9) | 25.5 (23.1–29.7) | 0.386 |
| Glycated haemoglobin (%) | 5.40 (5.2–5.7) | 5.45 (5.3–5.7) | 0.196 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) | 5.0 (4.7–5.3) | 4.9 (4.6–5.2) | 0.087 |
| T&G index (score) | 4.4 (0.3) | 4.5 (0.2) | 0.069 |
| Insulin resistance | 10 (13.9) | 18 (24.7) | 0.100 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.3 (0.9) | 4.9 (0.7) | 0.007 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.8 (0.5) | 1.7 (0.4) | 0.262 |
| LDL-C (mmol/L) | 3.0 (0.8) | 2.7 (0.6) | 0.002 |
| Apolipoprotein A (g/L) | 1.7 (0.3) | 1.6 (0.3) | 0.361 |
| Apolipoprotein B (g/L) | 1.0 (0.2) | 0.9 (0.2) | 0.014 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 0.8 (0.6–1.1) | 1.0 (0.8–1.4) | 0.008 |
| Non-HDL-C (mmol/L) | 3.5 (0.9) | 3.2 (0.7) | 0.026 |
| Lipoprotein (a) (g/L) | 0.20 (0.08–0.53) | 0.18 (0.07–0.49) | 0.582 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 63.0 (57.3–68.8) | 63.0 (55.0–74.0) | 0.542 |
| Albumin (mmol/L) | 46.0 (44.0–47.8) | 44.0 (42.0–46.0) | <0.001 |
| C- reactive protein (mg/L) | 1.0 (0.5–2.1) | 2.7 (1.1–5.6) | <0.001 |
| Homocysteine (μmol/L) | 9 (8–11) | 11.0 (8.9–14.7) | <0.001 |
| Albumin/creatinine (g/mol) | 0.0 (0.0–0.5), n=66 | 0.8 (0.1–4.1), n=52 | <0.001 |
| Vitamin B12 (pmol/L) | 384 (293–450) | 324 (259–376) | 0.006 |
| Folic acid (nmol/L) | 20.5 (19.9–29.7) | 18.9 (14.3–24.1) | 0.066 |
| Calcidiol (nmol/L) | 68.0 (45.4–81.1) | 58.6 (39.8–76.6) | 0.131 |
| Parathyroid hormone (pmol/L) | 4.4 (3.1–5.7), n=66 | 5.6 (3.9–7.3), n=33 | 0.024 |
Data are expressed as n (%) for qualitative variables and analysed by the χ2 or Fisher test; mean (SD) for normally distributed quantitative variables and analysed by analysis of variance; median (IQR) for non-normally distributed variables and analysed by non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U). Data highlighted in bold indicate p<0.05.
CVD, cardiovascular disease; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; T&G, triglyceride and glucose.