Table 1.
Patient characteristic at baseline.
| Active LN* (n = 47) | |
|---|---|
| Age, years | |
| Mean ± SE | 32.90 ± 1.29 |
| Range, years | 26-39 |
| Sex, number | |
| Female | 50 (96) |
| Duration of SLE, years | |
| Mean ± SE | 5.90 ± 0.62 |
| Renal-SLEDAI score‡ | |
| Median | 12 |
| Range | 8-12 |
| Prednisone use, number (%) | 47 (90) |
| Median dosage, mg/day | 16.00 |
| Dosage range, mg/day | 7.5-50 |
| Immunosuppressive drug use | |
| Intravenous methylprednisolone | 3 |
| Intravenous cyclophosphamide | 6 |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 6 |
| Azathioprine | 1 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 2 |
| Extrarenal manifestation, number (%) | 12 (23) |
| BLyS, ng/mla | 1.32 ± 0.15 |
| APRIL, ng/mla | 4.10 ± 0.30 |
| Serum creatinine, mg/dl | 1.06 ± 0.08 |
| Proteinuria, g/day Urinary erythrocyte count, per high power field |
3.59 ± 0.31 50.84 ± 11.96 |
| Immunological parametersa | |
| C3 (normal range: 70-140 mg/dL) | 60.86 ± 6.05, |
| ANA, titer | 731.20 ± 606.29 |
| Anti-dsDNA, titer | 351.74 ± 73.76 |
| Histological parameters | |
| Activity score | 7.83 ± 0.70 |
| Chronicity score | 3.01 ± 0.37 |
*Includes only lupus nephritis class III or IV by ISN/RPS 2003 criteria, ‡ renal-SLEDAI (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score) uses four endpoints as follows: UPCI or 24-hour urine protein ≥0.5 g/day, urinary RBCs ≥5/HPF, urinary WBCs ≥5/HPF and urinary cellular casts ≥1/HPF; and the maximal point was set at 16. aData are expressed as mean ± SE. ANA, antinuclear antibody; APRIL, a proliferation-inducing ligand; BlyS, B lymphocyte activation protein; HPF, high power field; LN, lupus nephritis; RBC, red blood cells; SLE, systemic lupus erythematous; WBC, white blood cells.