Table 1.
Patient characteristics. Characteristics of the patients in relation to the presence of activity limitations
| Characteristics | Mean (standard deviation) [range], or % | p-value*** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (n = 192) | HAQ > 0 (n = 117) | HAQ = 0 (n = 75) | ||
| Background variables | ||||
| Age (years) | 52.7 (17.4) [18–90] | 56.8 (17.1) [18–90] | 46.2 (16.0) [21–87] | <0.0001 |
| Females | 89.6 % | 90.6 % | 88.0 % | n.s. |
| Caucasian ethnicity | 92.5 % | 92.9 | 92.0 | n.s. |
| Disease duration (years) | 13.4 (10.2) [0–48] | 14.3 (11.3) [0–48] | 12.0 (8.2) [0–38] | n.s. |
| Continuous medication | ||||
| AM as only DMARD | 40.6 % | 41.0 % | 40.0 % | n.s. |
| Other DMARD ± AM | 29.7 % | 30.8 % | 28.0 % | n.s. |
| Glucocorticoids | 58.9 % | 70.9 % | 40.0 % | <0.0001 |
| Disease variables | ||||
| Fulfilled ACR criteria (n) | 4.6 (0.3) [3–9] | 4.5 (1.2) [3–8] | 4.7 (1.4) [3–9] | n.s. |
| 1. Malar rash | 43.2 % | 47.0 % | 37.3 % | n.s. |
| 2. Discoid rash | 16.1 % | 20.5 % | 9.3 % | 0.04 |
| 3. Photosensitivity | 52.6 % | 54.7 % | 49.3 % | n.s. |
| 4. Oral ulcers | 9.4 % | 9.4 % | 9.3 % | n.s. |
| 5. Arthritis | 76.6 % | 76.9 % | 76.0 % | n.s. |
| 6. Serositis | 39.1 % | 36.8 % | 42.7 % | n.s. |
| 7. Renal disorder | 20.8 % | 17.1 % | 26.7 % | n.s. |
| 8. Neurologic disorder | 4.2 % | 4.3 % | 4.0 % | n.s. |
| 9. Hematologic disorder | 51.6 % | 42.7 % | 65.3 % | 0.002 |
| 10. Immunologic disorder | 46.9 % | 44.4 % | 50.1 % | n.s. |
| 11. Antinuclear antibody* | 98.4 % | 97.4 % | 100 % | n.s. |
| SDI | 1.4 (1.9) [0–8] | 1.9 (2.1) [0–7] | 0.79 (1.39) [0–8] | 0.0001 |
| SLEDAI-2 K | 2.3 (3.3) [0–24] | 2.3 (3.7) [0–24] | 2.3 (2.7) [0–11] | n.s. |
| Modified SLEDAI** | 1.0 (2.5) [0–20] | 1.2 (2.9) [0–20] | 0.81 (1.96) [0–10] | n.s. |
| Physician’s global assessment (PGA) | 0.26 (0.55) [0–3] | 0.29 (0.62) [0–3] | 0.20 (0.43) [0–2] | n.s. |
| Self-reported measures | ||||
| Pain intensity (mm) | 29.0 (27.1) [0–100] | 38.5 (27.0) [0–100] | 13.0 (18.5) [0–73.2] | <0.0001 |
| HAQ (0–3)**** | 0.44 (0.60) [0–3.0] | 0.73 (0.62) [0.13–3.0] | 0 | |
| EQ5D | 0.67 (0.30) [−0.35–1] | 0.56 (0.31) [−0.35–1] | 0.84 (0.18) [0–1] | <0.0001 |
| Well-being (mm) | 29.8 (25.8) [0–100] | 39.2 (24.7) [0–100] | 13.6 (18.8) [0–74.2] | <0.0001 |
*Abnormal titre of ANA by immunofluorescence microscopy
**SLEDAI–2 K indicated by the exclusion of laboratory items for hypocomplementemia and anti-dsDNA antibody binding
***Performed with Mann–Whitney U test or Chi-square test (where appropriate)
****Primary outcome measure
AM = Antimalarials; DMARD = disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; SDI = Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/ACR damage index; SLEDAI = SLE disease activity index–2 K; HAQ = Health Assessment Questionnaire
EQ5D = EuroQol–5D; n.s. = not significant