Table 3.
Univariable associations of serum BAFF and its soluble receptors in SLE at baseline
| SLE cohort (N = 87) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAFF | sBAFF Receptors | |||||||
| sBCMA | sTACI | sBAFF‐R | ||||||
| RC (95% CI) | P‐value | RC (95% CI) | P‐value | RC (95% CI) | P‐value | RC (95% CI) | P‐value | |
| Demographics | ||||||||
| Age | 1.00 (0.99, 1.01) | 0.49 | 1.00 (0.99, 1.01) | 0.14 | 1.00 (0.99, 1.01) | 0.97 | 0.98 (0.97, 1.00) | 0.02 |
| Disease duration | 1.01 (1.00, 1.03) | 0.05 | 1.01 (0.99, 1.01) | 0.11 | 1.00 (0.98, 1.02) | 0.78 | 0.98 (0.96, 0.99) | <0.01 |
| Ratio of GM (95% CI) | P‐value | Ratio of GM (95% CI) | P‐value | Ratio of GM (95% CI) | P‐value | Ratio of GM (95% CI) | P‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||||||
| Male | 1.11 (0.79, 1.57) | 0.53 | 1.02 (0.86, 1.21) | 0.86 | 1.29 (0.96, 1.72) | 0.09 | 1.34 (0.7, 2.53) | 0.38 |
| Asian ethnicity | 0.93 (0.75, 1.16) | 0.52 | 0.95 (0.82, 1.09) | 0.45 | 0.98 (0.75, 1.29) | 0.91 | 1.42 (1.01, 2.02) | 0.04 |
| Clinical manifestations | ||||||||
| Disease activity (SLEDAI‐2K) | ||||||||
| Overall | 1.24 (0.99, 1.55) | 0.06 | 0.93 (0.82, 1.05) | 0.26 | 0.83 (0.66, 1.05) | 0.12 | 1.04 (0.74, 1.47) | 0.82 |
| Serological | 1.16 (0.91, 1.48) | 0.22 | 1.06 (0.94, 1.19) | 0.36 | 0.89 (0.71, 1.11) | 0.31 | 1.35 (1.02, 1.78) | 0.04 |
| Renal | 1.19 (0.92, 1.55) | 0.19 | 0.92 (0.77, 1.09) | 0.33 | 1.16 (0.89, 1.52) | 0.26 | 1.04 (0.72, 1.51) | 0.82 |
| Mucocutaneous | 0.99 (0.75, 1.29) | 0.93 | 0.99 (0.87, 1.13) | 0.92 | 0.82 (0.62, 1.09) | 0.17 | 1.11 (0.77, 1.59) | 0.58 |
| Mild/moderate flare | 1.26 (0.95, 1.68) | 0.11 | 0.98 (0.82, 1.16) | 0.81 | 0.91 (0.72, 1.15) | 0.44 | 1.05 (0.68, 1.62) | 0.83 |
| Severe flare | 1.17 (0.82, 1.68) | 0.37 | 1.12 (0.79, 1.59) | 0.53 | 1.24 (0.85, 1.8) | 0.27 | 0.83 (0.59, 1.17) | 0.3 |
| Flare any | 1.29 (1.01, 1.65) | 0.04 | 1.06 (0.88, 1.27) | 0.56 | 1.08 (0.82, 1.41) | 0.59 | 0.99 (0.67, 1.48) | 0.98 |
| Organ damage present (SDI > 0) | 1.33 (1.07, 1.65) | 0.01 | 0.98 (0.88, 1.09) | 0.69 | 1.05 (0.8, 1.4) | 0.71 | 1.04 (0.74, 1.47) | 0.83 |
| Treatment at baseline | ||||||||
| Prednisolone | 0.98 (0.79, 1.22) | 0.86 | 0.98 (0.87, 1.11) | 0.78 | 0.82 (0.62, 1.08) | 0.15 | 1.06 (0.8, 1.4) | 0.68 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 0.65 (0.49, 0.88) | <0.01 | 0.99 (0.79, 1.26) | 0.96 | 0.87 (0.49, 1.56) | 0.65 | 1.41 (1.04, 1.91) | 0.03 |
| Immunosuppressantsa | 1.23 (0.996, 1.53) | 0.05 | 0.91 (0.81, 1.03) | 0.13 | 0.85 (0.68, 1.07) | 0.17 | 1.22 (0.9, 1.66) | 0.2 |
| Laboratory markers | ||||||||
| High CRP (> 3) | 1.23 (0.96, 1.57) | 0.096 | 0.99 (0.84, 1.17) | 0.95 | 1.23 (0.9, 1.69) | 0.18 | 0.9 (0.56, 1.47) | 0.68 |
| High ESR (≥ 25) | 1.53 (1.23, 1.9) | <0.01 | 1.05 (0.92, 1.19) | 0.48 | 0.94 (0.75, 1.19) | 0.62 | 1.29 (0.77, 2.15) | 0.33 |
| Proteinuria (UPCR > 0.05) | 1.16 (0.88, 1.52) | 0.3 | 0.95 (0.82, 1.09) | 0.45 | 1.15 (0.82, 1.61) | 0.41 | 0.93 (0.64, 1.36) | 0.71 |
| Low C3 (< 0.79) | 1.21 (0.97, 1.51) | 0.09 | 1.07 (0.93, 1.22) | 0.34 | 1.04 (0.79, 1.37) | 0.78 | 1.03 (0.73, 1.47) | 0.85 |
| Low C4 (< 0.16) | 1.06 (0.85, 1.32) | 0.6 | 1.03 (0.91, 1.16) | 0.64 | 0.82 (0.63, 1.07) | 0.14 | 1.08 (0.77, 1.51) | 0.64 |
| ANA +ve (≥ 1280) | 1.3 (0.98, 1.71) | 0.07 | 1.13 (0.99, 1.29) | 0.08 | 0.9 (0.67, 1.22 | 0.51 | 0.93 (0.57, 1.52) | 0.76 |
| Anti‐dsDNA +ve | 1.07 (0.86, 1.34) | 0.52 | 1.12 (1.00, 1.26) | 0.05 | 1.01 (0.82, 1.24) | 0.92 | 1.08 (0.82, 1.44) | 0.58 |
| Anti‐Sm Ab +ve | 0.86 (0.66, 1.12) | 0.25 | 1.11 (0.96, 1.27) | 0.17 | 1.04 (0.79, 1.36) | 0.8 | 0.84 (0.6, 1.17) | 0.31 |
| Serum cytokine and soluble receptors | ||||||||
| BAFF | – | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.68 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.79 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.51 | |
| sBCMA | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.87 | – | – | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | <0.01 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.24 |
| sTACI | 1.00 (0.995, 1.01) | 0.98 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.01) | <0.01 | – | – | 1.00 (0.99, 1.01) | 0.94 |
| sBAFF‐R | 1.00 (1.00,1.00) | 0.53 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.8 | 1.00 (1.00, 1.00) | 0.92 | – | – |
Ab, antibody; ANA, antinuclear antibody; BAFF, B cell‐activating factor from the tumor necrosis factor family; BAFF‐R, BAFF receptor; BCMA, B cell maturation antigen; C3, complement component 3; C4, complement component 4; CI, confidence interval; CRP, C‐reactive protein; dsDNA, double‐stranded deoxyribonucleic acid; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; GM, geometric mean; RC, regression coefficient; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; SLEDAI‐2K, SLE Disease Activity Index 2000; SLICC‐SDI, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics‐SLE Damage Index; Sm, Smith; TACI, transmembrane activator and cyclophilin ligand interactor; UPCR, urine protein/creatinine ratio.
Immunosuppressants include methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolate acid, leflunomide, cyclosporine A and/or cyclophosphamide.