Table 1.
Demographic, laboratory baseline characteristics of all patients and induction treatment
| n=75 | |
|---|---|
| Female sex | 68 (90.7) |
| Age at enrollment (yr) | 34.9±9.8 |
| Age at diagnosis of SLE (yr) | 23.8±7.8 |
| Age at diagnosis of LN (yr) | 28.9±9.7 |
| LN duration (yr) | 6.0±6.5 |
| SLE duration (yr) | 11.9±5.9 |
| Renal flare | |
| 1st | 33 (44.0) |
| 2nd | 31 (41.3) |
| 3rd | 10 (13.3) |
| 4th | 1 (1.3) |
| Laboratory findings | |
| WBC count (cells ×103/mm3) | 5.7±2.4 |
| Neutrophil count (cells ×103/mm3) | 4.2±2.2 |
| Lymphocytes (cells ×103/mm3) | 1.1±0.7 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.7±0.3 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 110.1±25.8 |
| Active urinary sediment* | 70 (93.3) |
| C3 (g/L) | 52.3±18.6 |
| Decreased C3 | 71 (94.7) |
| C4 (g/L) | 9.3±6.8 |
| Decreased C4 | 52 (69.3) |
| Proteinuria (mg/day) | 2,639.9±2,408.5 |
| Sub-nephrotic range | 54 (72.0) |
| Nephrotic range | 21 (28.0) |
| Positivity for auto-antibody | |
| Anti-dsDNA | 53 (70.7) |
| Anti-Sm | 30 (40.0) |
| Anti-Ro | 47 (62.7) |
| Anti-La | 11 (14.7) |
| Antiphospholipid antibody | |
| Lupus anticoagulant antibody | 9 (12.0) |
| Anti-Cardiolipin IgM & IgG antibody | 5 (6.7) |
| β2-GP1 IgM & IgG antibody | 3 (4.0) |
| APL antibody† | 12 (16.0) |
| SLEDAI | 15.6±4.6 |
| Hypertension | 8 (10.7) |
| Induction treatment | |
| MMF | 55 (73.3) |
| MMF+TAC | 12 (16.0) |
| TAC | 2 (2.7) |
| Others‡ | 6 (8.0) |
Values are presented as number (%) or mean±standard deviation unless otherwise indicated. SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus, LN: lupus nephritis, WBC: white blood cells, eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate, C3: complement 3, C4: complement 4, Anti-dsDNA: anti-double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid, Anti-Sm: anti-Smith, IgM: immunoglobulin M, IgG: immunoglobulin G, β2-GP1: β2-glycoprotein 1, APL antibody: antiphospholipid antibody, SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index, MMF: mycophenolate mofetil, TAC: tacrolimus, RBC: red blood cell, HPF: high power field. *>5 RBC or WBC/HPF and/or ≥1 cellular cast. †Have at least one antiphospholipid antibody. ‡Cyclosporine, Rituximab, and Steroid only, number (%): 1 (1.3), 1 (1.3), and 4 (6.7), respectively.