Table I.
The demographic and clinical characteristics and therapies administered to the high-TLR9 and low-TLR9 groups at baseline.
| Characteristics | Low-TLR9 group | High-TLR9 group | P-values |
|---|---|---|---|
| TLR9 mRNA levels, median (LQ, UQ) | 18,402 (10,687, 23,734) | 40,450 (32,510, 49,442) | <0.0001 |
| Patients, n | 67 | 23 | |
| Age, years | 40.6±13.5 | 30.4±12.4 | |
| Female, N (%) | 66 (98.5) | 23 (100) | n.s. |
| Lag-time onset-diagnosis, months | 16.8±16.3 | 17.1±15.2 | n.s. |
| SLEDAI | 13.7±9.1 | 17.4±10.6 | n.s. |
| Clinical manifestations | |||
| Fever, n (%) | 25 (37.3) | 10 (43.5) | n.s. |
| Skin involvement, n (%) | 32 (47.8) | 11 (47.8) | n.s. |
| Arthritis, n (%) | 43 (64.2) | 16 (69.6) | n.s. |
| Serositis, n (%) | 19 (29.7) | 7 (30.4) | n.s. |
| Persistent proteinuria of >0.5 g/day, n (%) | 23 (34.3) | 12 (52.2) | n.s. |
| Neuropsychiatric manifestations, n (%) | 5 (7.5) | 6 (26.1) | 0.029 |
| Vasculitis, n (%) | 13 (19.4) | 4 (17.4) | n.s. |
| Haematological involvement, n (%) | 30 (44.8) | 15 (65.2) | n.s. |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| White blood cell counts | 5.8±3.6 | 5.7±3.3 | n.s. |
| Red blood cell counts | 3.8±0.7 | 3.3±0.7 | n.s. |
| Platelet counts | 163.3±90.5 | 168.1±95.9 | n.s. |
| IgM | 1.3±0.7 | 1.1±0.6 | n.s. |
| IgA | 3.2±1.5 | 2.8±1.5 | n.s. |
| IgG | 17.6±9.1 | 18.8±9.3 | n.s. |
| CRP, median (LQ, UQ) | 3 (1, 18.3) | 4 (1, 12) | n.s. |
| ESR | 42.6±35.2 | 35.4±35.1 | n.s. |
| Serum C3 level | 0.71±0.31 | 0.55±0.28 | n.s. |
| Serum C4 level | 0.13±0.13 | 0.09±0.06 | n.s. |
| Low C3 serum level, n (%) | 49 (73.1) | 20 (87) | n.s. |
| Low C4 serum level, n (%) | 41 (61.2) | 14 (60.9) | n.s. |
| ANA positivity, n (%) | 67 (100) | 23 (100) | n.s. |
| Anti-dsDNA Ab positivity, n (%) | 49 (73.1) | 20 (87.0) | n.s. |
| Drugs | |||
| Glucocorticoids, n (%) | 67 (100) | 23 (100) | n.s. |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 67 (100) | 23 (100) | n.s. |
| Immunosuppressants | |||
| Cyclophosphamide, n (%) | 13 (19.4) | 5 (21.7) | n.s. |
| Mycophenolate, n (%) | 29 (43.3) | 14 (60.9) | n.s. |
| Cyclosporine, n (%) | 0 (0) | 8 (34.8) | <0.0001 |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (8.7) | n.s. |
| Azathioprine, n (%) | 1 (0) | 1 (2.8) | n.s. |
| Leflunomide, n (%) | 6 (11.1) | 2 (5.6) | n.s. |
| >1 immunosuppressant, n (%) | 11 (16.42) | 4 (17.39) | n.s. |
| Prognosis | |||
| Mortality rate, n (%) | 2 (3.0) | 4 (17.4) | 0.035 |
| Poor prognosis over 2-years, n (%) | 22 (32.8) | 16 (69.6) | 0.003 |
All results are presented as the mean ± standard deviation, unless otherwise specified. P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. SLEDAI, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index; n, number; n.s., no significance; LQ, lower quartile; UQ, upper quartile; TLR9, toll-like receptor 9; Ig, immunoglobulin; CRP, C reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; dsDNA, double stranded DNA; ANA, antinuclear antibody; AB, antibody titer.