Table 2.
Characteristics of untreated SLE patients and HC.
| Features | HC (n = 22) | SLE (n = 28) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 30.09 ± 4.06 | 31.86 ± 6.64 | 0.253 |
| Gender (F/M) | 16/6 | 20/8 | 0.919 |
| Clinical manifestations | |||
| Fever | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (7.1%) | 0.201 |
| Rashes | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (21.4%) | 0.021 |
| Arthritis | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (25%) | 0.011 |
| Serositis | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (14.3%) | 0.065 |
| Nephritis | 0 (0.0%) | 15 (53.6%) | <0.001 |
| CNS involvement | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (7.1%) | 0.201 |
| Cardiac involvement | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (10.7%) | 0.113 |
| Gastrointestinal involvement | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (14.3%) | 0.065 |
|
| |||
| Laboratory data | |||
| ANA antibody positive | 0 (0.0%) | 16 (57.1%) | <0.001 |
| Anti-SSA antibody positive | 0 (0.0%) | 11 (39.3%) | <0.001 |
| Anti-SSB antibody positive | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (17.9%) | <0.001 |
| Anti-SM antibody positive | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (21.4%) | 0.002 |
| Anti-dsDNA antibody positive | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (17.9%) | 0.024 |
| WBC (×109/L) | 8.14 ± 1.36 | 6.14 ± 1.89 | <0.001 |
| Hb (g/L) | 136.5 ± 9.93 | 118.43 ± 19.56 | <0.001 |
| PLT (×109/L) | 239.82 ± 15.27 | 196.61 ± 47.20 | <0.001 |
| C3 (g/L) | 1.34 ± 0.12 | 0.43 ± 0.07 | <0.001 |
| C4 (g/L) | 0.32 ± 0.35 | 0.13 ± 0.05 | <0.001 |
| 24-hr urinary protein (g) | 0.13 ± 0.02 | 3.74 ± 2.05 | <0.001 |
Data are reported as means ± SD or number and percent within parentheses. CNS, central nervous system; ANA, antinuclear antibodies; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; WBC, white blood cells; Hb, blood hemoglobin; PLT, blood platelets; C3, complement 3; C4, complement 4. Significant differences (P < 0.05) are shown in bold. Student's t-test, or the χ2 test, was used as appropriate.