Table 4.
Counts and severity of SLE flares among patients with ≥ 5 years of follow-up (n = 335)
| SLE flaresa | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients with any SLE flare, n (%) | 323 (96.4) | 307 (91.6) | 313 (93.4) | 311 (92.8) | 320 (95.5) |
| Total SLE flare count | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 4.1 (2.1) | 3.8 (2.2) | 3.9 (2.2) | 3.9 (2.3) | 4.0 (2.2) |
| Median (IQR) | 4.0 (3.0–6.0) | 4.0 (2.0–5.0) | 4.0 (2.0–5.0) | 4.0 (2.0–5.0) | 4.0 (2.0–6.0) |
| Patients with mild flare, n (%) | 195 (58.2) | 187 (55.8) | 170 (50.7) | 184 (54.9) | 173 (51.6) |
| Mild flare count | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 1.2 (1.3) | 1.2 (1.4) | 1.1 (1.4) | 1.2 (1.4) | 1.1 (1.3) |
| Median (IQR) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) |
| Patients with moderate flare, n (%) | 302 (90.1) | 285 (85.1) | 290 (86.6) | 285 (85.1) | 295 (88.1) |
| Moderate flare count | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 2.6 (1.7) | 2.5 (1.7) | 2.5 (1.7) | 2.5 (1.8) | 2.7 (1.7) |
| Median (IQR) | 3.0 (1.0–4.0) | 2.0 (1.0–4.0) | 2.0 (1.0–4.0) | 2.0 (1.0–4.0) | 3.0 (1.0–4.0) |
| Patients with severe flare, n (%) | 106 (31.6) | 54 (16.1) | 48 (14.3) | 56 (16.7) | 62 (18.5) |
| Severe flare count | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 0.4 (0.7) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.2 (0.6) | 0.2 (0.6) | 0.3 (0.7) |
| Median (IQR) | 0.0 (0.0–1.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) |
aIndividual patients may have ≥ 1 flare
IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus