TABLE 1.
Demographics and Disease Characteristics for Respondents with Known Flare Frequency During the Past Year (N = 1,288)
| Total (N = 1,288) | No Flares (n = 189) | 1-3 Flares (n = 563) | 4-6 Flares (n = 291) | ≥ 7 Flares (n = 245) | χ2/F | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women, n (%) | 1,162 (90.2) | 162 (85.7) | 495 (87.9) | 269 (92.4) | 236 (96.3) | 19.7 | < 0.001 |
| Age, mean (SD) | 45.2 (13.3) | 46.3 (14.8) | 44.8 (13.3) | 45.8 (13.1) | 44.4 (12.2) | F = 1.025 | < 0.001 |
| Race, n (%) | |||||||
| White | 1,001 (82.0) | 154 (85.6) | 423 (79.4) | 227 (81.7) | 197 (86.0) | 10.831 | 0.094 |
| African American | 173 (14.2) | 17 (9.4) | 92 (17.3) | 40 (14.4) | 24 (10.5) | ||
| Other | 46 (3.8) | 9 (5.0) | 18 (3.4) | 11 (4.0) | 8 (3.5) | ||
| Hispanic ethnicity, n (%) | 156 (12.2) | 30 (16.0) | 62 (11.0) | 34 (11.8) | 30 (12.3) | 3.244 | 0.356 |
| Married, n (%) | 743 (58.4) | 122 (65.2) | 326 (58.5) | 174 (60.2) | 121 (50.4) | 10.287 | 0.016 |
| Household income, n (%) | |||||||
| < $25,000 | 263 (22.3) | 20 (11.2) | 96 (18.6) | 72 (27.7) | 75 (33.5) | 72.856 | <0.001 |
| $25,000-$49,999 | 294 (25) | 39 (21.8) | 141 (27.4) | 54 (20.8) | 60 (26.8) | ||
| $50,000-$74,999 | 199 (16.9) | 40 (22.3) | 76 (14.8) | 37 (14.2) | 46 (20.5) | ||
| $75,000-$99,000 | 148 (12.6) | 19 (10.6) | 71 (13.8) | 43 (16.5) | 15 (6.7) | ||
| ≥ $100,000 | 274 (23.3) | 61 (34.1) | 131 (25.4) | 54 (20.8) | 28 (12.5) | ||
| Census region, n (%) | |||||||
| Northeast | 211 (16.4) | 35 (18.5) | 96 (17.1) | 42 (14.4) | 38 (15.5) | 19.527 | 0.021 |
| Midwest | 286 (22.2) | 48 (25.4) | 136 (24.2) | 57 (19.6) | 45 (18.4) | ||
| South | 487 (37.8) | 56 (29.6) | 214 (38.0) | 107 (36.8) | 110 (44.9) | ||
| West | 304 (23.6) | 50 (26.5) | 117 (20.8) | 85 (29.2) | 52 (21.2) | ||
| Employment statusa, n (%) | 636 (49.4) | 120 (63.5) | 304 (54.0) | 124 (42.6) | 88 (35.9) | 42.953 | < 0.001 |
| Working for pay (full or part) | 610 (47.4) | 115 (60.8) | 292 (51.9) | 120 (41.2) | 83 (33.9) | 3.132 | < 0.001 |
| Disabled: Working for pay | 35 (2.7) | 8 (4.2) | 14 (2.5) | 5 (1.7) | 8 (3.3) | 58.193 | 0.372 |
| Disabled: Not working | 329 (25.5) | 12 (6.3) | 135 (24.0) | 94 (32.3) | 88 (35.9) | 3.704 | < 0.001 |
| Only temporarily laid off | 8 (0.6) | 3 (1.6) | 2 (0.4) | 2 (0.7) | 1 (0.4) | 6.511 | 0.295 |
| On sick or maternity leave | 24 (1.9) | 2 (1.1) | 6 (1.1) | 8 (2.7) | 8 (3.3) | 2.016 | 0.089 |
| Looking for work/unemployed | 59 (4.6) | 7 (3.7) | 23 (4.1) | 14 (4.8) | 15 (6.1) | 8.209 | 0.569 |
| Retired | 149 (11.6) | 33 (17.5) | 59 (10.5) | 34 (11.7) | 23 (9.4) | 8.943 | 0.042 |
| Homemaker | 124 (9.6) | 11 (5.8) | 47 (8.3) | 34 (11.7) | 32 (13.1) | 4.416 | 0.030 |
| Student | 58 (4.5) | 8 (4.2) | 31 (5.5) | 7 (2.4) | 12 (4.9) | 4.052 | 0.220 |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 29.5 (7.9) | 27.5 (6.2) | 29.6 (8.0) | 29.6 (7.7) | 30.8 (8.7) | F = 6.489 | < 0.001 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 127 (9.9) | 7 (3.7) | 46 (8.2) | 34 (11.7) | 40 (16.3) | 22.483 | < 0.001 |
| Duration of illness, mean years (SD) | 11.9 (9.8) | 15.9 (11.2) | 12.2 (10.1) | 11.1 (0.5) | 9.0 (8.1) | F = 18.522 | < 0.001 |
| Medication use, n (%) | |||||||
| Steroid | 540 (41.9) | 46 (24.3) | 258 (45.8) | 123 (42.3) | 113 (46.1) | 29.313 | < 0.001 |
| Biologic | 199 (15.5) | 18 (9.5) | 95 (16.9) | 45 (15.5) | 41 (16.7) | 6.265 | 0.099 |
| DMARD | 885 (68.7) | 98 (51.9) | 389 (69.1) | 205 (70.4) | 193 (78.8) | 36.977 | < 0.001 |
| GABA analog | 204 (15.8) | 7 (3.7) | 93 (16.5) | 60 (20.6) | 44 (18.0) | 26.889 | < 0.001 |
| Immunosuppressant | 197 (15.3) | 28 (14.8) | 99 (17.6) | 37 (12.7) | 33 (13.5) | 4.437 | 0.218 |
| Hormone | 55 (4.3) | 4 (2.1) | 24 (4.3) | 15 (5.2) | 12 (4.9) | 2.938 | 0.401 |
| Other lupus drug | 81 (6.3) | 12 (6.3) | 40 (7.1) | 21 (7.2) | 8 (3.3) | 4.863 | 0.182 |
| Number of lupus drugs using, n (%) | |||||||
| No lupus drug use | 166 (12.9) | 46 (24.3) | 56 (9.9) | 32 (11) | 32 (13.1) | 56.098 | < 0.001 |
| Using 1 lupus drug | 474 (36.8) | 90 (47.6) | 206 (36.6) | 106 (36.4) | 72 (29.4) | ||
| Using 2 or more lupus drugs | 648 (50.3) | 53 (28) | 301 (53.5) | 153 (52.6) | 141 (57.6) | ||
| Severity of most recent flare, n (%) | |||||||
| Mild | 95 (8.8) | NA | 72 (13.1) | 17 (5.9) | 6 (2.5) | 126.131 | < 0.001 |
| Mild to moderate | 257 (23.7) | NA | 177 (32.2) | 56 (19.3) | 24 (9.8) | ||
| Moderate | 332 (30.7) | NA | 163 (29.6) | 98 (33.8) | 71 (29.1) | ||
| Moderate to severe | 291 (26.8) | NA | 98 (17.8) | 96 (33.1) | 97 (39.8) | ||
| Severe | 109 (10.1) | NA | 40 (7.3) | 23 (7.9) | 46 (18.9) | ||
aWorking for pay (full or part time) and disabled (working for pay) combined.
BMI = body mass index; DMARD = disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; GABA = gamma-aminobutyric acid; NA = not applicable; SD = standard deviation;
SLE = systemic lupus erythematous.