Table 1.
Clinical and demographic features of 220 SLE patients
| Age at diagnosis, ±SD | 31 ± 11 years |
| Duration of disease, ±SD | 12 ± 7 years |
| Sex, female:male | 219:1 |
| Ethnicity, % | |
| Caucasian | 80 |
| Hispanic | 8 |
| African-American | 5 |
| Asian | 3 |
| Mixed heritage | 4 |
| Laboratory clinical features*, % | |
| ANA-positive† | 98 |
| Anti-dsDNA-positive | 46 |
| Arthritis | 85 |
| Skin involvement | 91 |
| Pleuritis | 53 |
| Hematologic | 47 |
| Renal disease | 30 |
| CNS lupus | 22 |
| Pericarditis | 18 |
| More than one miscarriage | 13 |
| Medication history, % | |
| Corticosteroids | 77 |
| Antimalarials | 65 |
| Cytotoxic drugs | 28 |
| Intravenous steroids | 19 |
*
Data represents the percentage of SLE patients having the indicated laboratory/clinical features and medication history at any time during the course of their disease.
†
Four individuals negative for ANA tested positive for anti-dsDNA antibodies and otherwise fulfilled criteria. These data are comparable with those described in other large series of SLE patients (31). ANA, antinuclear antibodies; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; CNS, central nervous system.