Table 2. Disease characteristics, clinical manifestations, and autoantibodies of SLE patients as per the presence of cognitive dysfunction (CD)*.
| Variable | Cognitive Dysfunction N = 16 | No Cognitive Dysfunction N = 84 | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLE characteristics | |||
| Age at diagnosis, yrs | 26.5 (17–51) | 24 (14–46) | 0.09 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 8.2 (1.2–11.0) | 5.7 (0.5–11.1) | 0.24 |
| Length of follow-up, yrs | 7.7 (1.2–10.0) | 5.2 (0.5–10.2) | 0.39 |
| Number of SLE criteria | 6 (4–9) | 6 (4–9) | 0.81 |
| SLEDAI-2K score at baseline† | 7 (0–14) | 6 (0–27) | 0.83 |
| SLEDAI-2K at screening of CD | 4 (0–14) | 4 (0–24) | 0.86 |
| SLEDAI-2K-AUC, mean | 16.0 (5.6–49.7) | 14.6 (0.7–39.2) | 0.18 |
| SLEDAI-2K adjusted mean | 4.9 (0.5–11.0) | 4.1 (0.2–16.7) | 0.58 |
| Length of moderate/severe disease activity (SLEDAI-2K score ≥ 7), months | 6 (0–17) | 3 (0–80) | 0.66 |
| SLICC‡ Damage Index score at screening | 1 (0–4) | 0 (0–4) | 0.08 |
| Anti-dsDNA antibodies IU/mL | 12.6 (4.7–164) | 15.4 (0–1338) | 0.56 |
| C3 Levels mg/dL | 96.6 (37.6–143) | 77.1 (10.5–184) | 0.57 |
| C4 Levels mg/dL | 11.2 (1.7–29.7) | 12.4 (1.7–47.7) | 0.91 |
| SLE manifestations | |||
| Malar rash — n (%) | 8 (50) | 34 (41) | 0.58 |
| Discoid rash, — n (%) | 1 (6) | 9 (11) | 1.00 |
| Photosensitivity, — n (%) | 6 (38) | 25 (30) | 0.56 |
| Oral ulcers, — n (%) | 6 (38) | 33 (39) | 1.00 |
| Arthritis, — n (%) | 10 (63) | 75 (89) | 0.01 |
| Serositis, — n (%) | 8 (50) | 34 (41) | 0.58 |
| Renal disorder, — n (%) | 13 (81) | 46 (55) | 0.06 |
| Neurological disorder, — n (%) | 2 (13) | 4 (5) | 0.25 |
| Hematological disorder, — n (%) | 11 (69) | 66 (79) | 0.52 |
| Autoantibodies at enrollment | |||
| Anti-dsDNA antibodies, — n (%) | 6 (38) | 37 (44) | 0.79 |
| Anti-Sm antibodies, — n (%) | 9 (56) | 44 (52) | 0.79 |
| Anti-RNP/Sm antibodies, — n (%) | 5 (31) | 35 (42) | 0.58 |
| Anti-SSA antibodies, — n (%) | 8 (50) | 39 (46) | 1.00 |
| Anti-SSB antibodies, — n (%) | 5 (31) | 23 (27) | 0.77 |
| Anti-phospholipid antibodies, — n (%) | |||
| IgM anti-cardiolipin antibodies | 6 (38) | 20 (24) | 0.35 |
| IgG anti-cardiolipin antibodies | 8 (50) | 15 (18) | 0.009 |
| Any anti-cardiolipin antibodies | 9 (56) | 28 (33) | 0.09 |
| IgM anti-β2GPI antibodies | 4 (25) | 16 (19) | 0.73 |
| IgG anti-β2GPI antibodies | 4 (25) | 13 (15) | 0.46 |
| Any anti-β2GPI antibodies | 6 (38) | 24 (29) | 0.55 |
| Lupus anticoagulant | 2 (20) | 10 (12) | 0.41 |
*Data are expressed as mean (SD), number (percentage), or median (minimum–maximum).
† Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000
‡ Systemic lupus erythematosus international collaborating clinics-damage index. Scores exclude neuropsychiatric items.