Table 1 Basic characteristics of healthy subjects and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
| Characteristics | SLE | HS | RA | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (match SLE) | (match RA) | |||
| Number | 32 | 42 | 62 | 23 |
| Age (years) | 38.1 (2.1) | 37.1 (1.5) | 57.7 (1.7) | 51.5 (0.8) |
| Sex, female/male (%) | 24/8 (75/25) | 25/17 (60/40) | 52/10 (84/16) | 12/11 (52/48) |
| Disease duration (years) | 8.0 (1.5) | NA | 9.7 (1.0) | NA |
| SLEDAI | 10.9 (1.5) | NA | NA | NA |
| Tender joints | NA | NA | 9.0 (0.6) | NA |
| Swollen joints | NA | NA | 7.5 (0.6) | NA |
| ESR (mm/1st h) | 25.0 (3.3) | NM | 27.7 (2.4) | NM |
| Drug | ||||
| Prednisolone, No (%) | 20 (63) | NA | 34 (55) | NA |
| Prednisolone/day (mg) | 9.4 (3.4) | NA | 4.3 (0.9) | NA |
| NSAID, No (%) | 13 (41) | NA | 38 (62) | NA |
| Methotrexate, No (%) | 2 (6) | NA | 43 (69) | NA |
| Azathioprine, No (%) | 12 (38) | NA | 0 (0) | NA |
| Anti‐TNF treatment, No (%) | 0 (0) | NA | 38 (61) | NA |
| Leflunomide, No (%) | 0 (0) | NA | 8 (13) | NA |
| Cyclophosphamide, No (%) | 2 (6) | NA | 0 (0) | NA |
| Hydroxychloroquine, No (%) | 3 (9) | NA | 4 (6) | NA |
| Sulfasalazine, No (%) | 0 (0) | NA | 2 (3) | NA |
Data are given as means (SEM)unless stated otherwise.
ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NA, not applicable; NM, not measured; SLEDAI, SLE Disease Activity Index.