Table 2.
Disease severity and flare occurrence (N = 27,353) during the 12‐month observation period
| No OCS use | OCS initiation | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 11,137) | (n = 16,216) | ||
| Disease severity, n (%) | |||
| Mild | 7214 (64.8) | 567 (3.5) | <0.01 |
| Moderate | 2640 (23.7) | 11,527 (71.1) | <0.01 |
| Severe | 1283 (11.5) | 4122 (25.4) | <0.01 |
| SLE flares | |||
| Patients with ≥1 SLE flare, n (%) | 8066 (72.4) | 16,210 (100.0) | <0.01 |
| ≥1 mild SLE flare | 2560 (23.0) | 7105 (43.8) | <0.01 |
| ≥1 moderate SLE flare | 7047 (63.3) | 15,530 (95.8) | <0.01 |
| ≥1 severe SLE flare | 391 (3.5) | 3835 (23.6) | <0.01 |
| ≥1 moderate/severe SLE flare | 7151 (64.2) | 15,954 (98.4) | <0.01 |
| Number of any SLE flares per patient, mean (SD) | 2.1 (1.1) | 3.3 (1.5) | <0.01 |
| Number of moderate/severe SLE flares per patient | 1.9 (0.9) | 2.7 (1.3) | <0.01 |
Abbreviations: OCS, oral corticosteroid; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.