Table 1.
Patient demographic and clinical characteristics
| Total patients with SLE (n = 52) | SLE disease severity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mild (n = 3) | Moderate (n = 40) | Severe (n = 9) | ||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 46.5 (10.8) | 43.3 (5.8) | 46.8 (10.8) | 46.7 (12.8) |
| Gender: female, n (%) | 49 (94.2) | 3 (100.0) | 37 (92.5) | 9 (100.0) |
| Race, n (%) | ||||
| Caucasian | 34 (65.4) | 2 (66.7) | 24 (60.0) | 8 (88.9) |
| African origin | 8 (15.4) | 1 (33.3) | 7 (17.5) | – |
| Asian | 6 (11.5) | – | 6 (15.0) | – |
| Hispanic | 3 (5.8) | – | 3 (7.5) | – |
| West Indian | 1 (1.9) | – | – | 1 (11.1) |
| Time since SLE diagnosis, n (%) | ||||
| 0–5 years | 12 (23.1) | – | 9 (22.5) | 3 (33.3) |
| 6–10 years | 12 (23.1) | – | 10 (25.0) | 2 (22.2) |
| >10 years | 28 (53.8) | 3 (100.0) | 21 (52.5) | 4 (44.4) |
| SLE disease severity at baseline, n (%) | ||||
| Mild | 3 (5.8) | 3 (100.0) | – | – |
| Moderate | 40 (76.9) | – | 40 (100.0) | – |
| Severe | 9 (17.3) | – | – | 9 (100.0) |
| SLE disease characteristics at baseline, n (%) | ||||
| High anti-dsDNA | 22 (42.3) | 2 (66.7) | 16 (40.0) | 4 (44.4) |
| Low C4 | 20 (38.5) | 2 (66.7) | 15 (37.5) | 3 (33.3) |
| Low C3 | 17 (32.7) | 3 (100.0) | 12 (30.0) | 2 (22.2) |
| Leukopenia | 9 (17.3) | – | 8 (20.0) | 1 (11.1) |
| Proteinuria | 6 (11.5) | – | 5 (12.5) | 1 (11.1) |
| None | 16 (30.8) | – | 12 (30.0) | 4 (44.4) |
| Top 5 reasons for initiating belimumab, n (%) | ||||
| Previous treatment regimen ineffective | 36 (69.2) | 2 (66.7) | 27 (67.5) | 7 (77.8) |
| Decrease use of glucocorticoids | 35 (67.3) | 3 (100.0) | 26 (65.0) | 6 (66.7) |
| Worsening patient condition | 26 (50.0) | 1 (33.3) | 18 (45.0) | 7 (77.8) |
| Previous treatment regimen not well tolerated | 9 (17.3) | – | 8 (20.0) | 1 (11.1) |
| Patient request | 2 (3.8) | – | 2 (5.0) | – |
| Concomitant SLE medications, n (%) | ||||
| Oral glucocorticoids | 44 (84.6) | 3 (100.0) | 32 (80.0) | 9 (100.0) |
| Antimalarials | 40 (76.9) | 3 (100.0) | 32 (80.0) | 5 (55.6) |
| Immunosuppressanta | 38 (73.1) | 2 (66.7) | 30 (75.0) | 6 (66.7) |
| NSAIDs | 8 (15.4) | – | 6 (15.0) | 2 (22.0) |
| Mean (SD) prednisone equivalent dose (mg/day) | 13.6 (10.0) | 13.3 (14.4) | 13.3 (9.8) | 14.7 (10.5) |
| Mean (SD) prednisone equivalent dose in patients with ≥7.5 mg/day at index date (mg/day) | 17.8 (9.5) | – | – | – |
Anti-dsDNA anti-double-stranded DNA, C complement, NSAID non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, SD standard deviation, SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
aImmunosuppressants included mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate sodium