Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of NNSLE and LN patient cohorts
| Characteristic | Patients with NNSLE n=168 | Patients with LN n=206 | P-value NNSLE vs LN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age, years | 43.5 (14.9) | 39.4 (13.1) | 0.005 |
| Females, n (%) | 160 (95.2) | 182 (88.8)a | 0.037 |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | n=167 | n=205 | |
| White | 101 (60.5) | 85 (41.5) | <0.001 |
| Black/Afro-Caribbean | 37 (22.2) | 70 (34.1) | 0.012 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 21 (12.6) | 28 (13.7) | 0.878 |
| Chinese | 3 (1.8) | 10 (4.9) | 0.156 |
| Asian subcontinent | 2 (1.2) | 7 (3.4) | 0.195 |
| Asian other | 1 (0.6) | 3 (1.5) | 0.631 |
| Other | 2 (1.2) | 2 (1.0) | 1.000 |
| Employment status,b n (%) | n=167 | n=206 | |
| Full time | 70 (41.9) | 69 (33.5) | 0.107 |
| Part time | 20 (12.0) | 27 (13.1) | 0.757 |
| Self-employed | 3 (1.8) | 2 (1.0) | 0.660 |
| Unemployed | 21 (12.6) | 53 (25.7) | 0.002 |
| Student | 12 (7.2) | 9 (4.4) | 0.265 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 22/161 (13.7) | 15/186 (8.1) | 0.116 |
| Mean (SD) time since diagnosis, years | 5.9 (7.0) | 5.6 (6.5) | 0.702 |
| Current physician-reported lupus disease severity, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Mild | 126 (75.0) | 102 (49.5) | |
| Moderate | 35 (20.8) | 82 (39.8) | |
| Severe | 7 (4.2) | 22 (10.7) | |
| Current patient-reported lupus disease severity, n (%) | n=111 | n=120 | 0.008 |
| Mild | 75 (67.6) | 62 (51.7) | |
| Moderate | 33 (29.7) | 47 (39.2) | |
| Severe | 3 (2.7) | 11 (9.2) | |
| Current physician-reported symptoms, n (%) | n=154 | n=197 | |
| Joint tenderness | 56 (36.4) | 65 (33.0) | 0.572 |
| Joint stiffness | 58 (37.7) | 85 (43.1) | 0.325 |
| Joint swelling | 31 (20.1) | 43 (21.8) | 0.792 |
| Pain on movement | 35 (22.7) | 46 (23.4) | 0.899 |
| Pain at rest | 26 (16.9) | 20 (10.2) | 0.079 |
| Chronic pain | 13 (8.4) | 20 (10.2) | 0.713 |
| Fibromyalgia | 17 (11.0) | 10 (5.1) | 0.044 |
| Osteoarthritis | 18 (11.7) | 15 (7.6) | 0.203 |
| Malar or butterfly rash | 19 (12.3) | 33 (16.1) | 0.290 |
| Discoid rash | 11 (7.1) | 22 (11.2) | 0.268 |
| High blood pressure | 21 (13.6) | 58 (29.4) | 0.001 |
| Depression | 27 (17.5) | 39 (19.8) | 0.680 |
| Anxiety | 28 (18.2) | 32 (16.2) | 0.670 |
| Kidney dysfunction/impairment | 4 (2.6) | 121 (61.4) | <0.001 |
| Headaches/migraine | 12 (7.8) | 20 (10.2) | 0.576 |
| Fatigue | 56 (36.4) | 63 (32.0) | 0.427 |
| Hair loss | 17 (11.0) | 23 (11.7) | 0.868 |
| Photosensitivity | 18 (11.7) | 34 (17.3) | 0.173 |
| Anemia | 15 (9.7) | 57 (28.9) | <0.001 |
| Thrombocytopenia | 10 (6.5) | 20 (10.2) | 0.253 |
| Leukopenia | 17 (11.0) | 21 (10.7) | 1.000 |
| Sjögren’s syndrome | 18 (11.7) | 8 (4.1) | 0.008 |
| Current medications, n (%) | n=168 | n=203 | |
| Antimalarial | 116 (69.0) | 85 (41.9) | <0.001 |
| Immunosuppressant | 65 (38.7) | 135 (66.5) | <0.001 |
| Biologic DMARD | 1 (0.6) | 3 (1.5) | 0.630 |
| Traditional NSAID | 48 (28.6) | 34 (16.7) | 0.008 |
| COX-2 inhibitor | 15 (8.9) | 24 (11.8) | 0.399 |
| Corticosteroid | 90 (53.6) | 155 (76.4) | <0.001 |
| Otherc | 29 (17.3) | 46 (22.7) | NS |
| Currently in physician-reported remission, n (%) | 93/166 (56.0) | 123/203 (60.6) | 0.397 |
| Currently in disease flare, n (%) | |||
| Physician-reported | 20/168 (11.9) | 20/204 (9.8) | 0.614 |
| Patient-reported | 17/106 (16.0) | 10/115 (8.7) | 0.105 |
Notes:
a
N=205,
b
Categories not shown: unemployed due to lupus, retired, and homemaker,
c
Included prescriptions for 14 other classes of medication. Bold indicates that the P-value is statistically significant.
Abbreviations: COX, cyclooxygenase; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; LN, lupus nephritis; NNSLE, non-nephritis systemic lupus erythematosus; NS, nonsignificant; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.