Table 2.
Comparison of baseline kidney histopathology data and prior immunosuppressive treatment
| Variables | Total (n = 171) | Patients with early lupus nephritis (n = 106) | Patients with delayed lupus nephritis (n = 65) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney histopathology data | ||||
| Lupus nephritis class | ||||
| Class I | 3 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (4.6) | 0.053 |
| Class IIa | 7 (4.1) | 4 (3.8) | 3 (4.6) | 0.999 |
| Class IIIa | 57 (33.3) | 35 (33.0) | 22 (33.8) | 0.801 |
| Class IVa | 84 (49.1) | 53 (50.0) | 31 (47.7) | 0.770 |
| Class Va | 42 (24.6) | 29 (27.4) | 13 (20.0) | 0.279 |
| Class VI | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.999 |
| Activity/Chronicity | ||||
| Activity index | 7.0 (2.0–11.8) | 7.0 (2.0–11.0) | 8.0 (3.0–12.0) | 0.323 |
| Chronicity index, n (%) | 0.007 | |||
| 0–1 | 104 (60.8) | 71 (67.0) | 33 (50.8) | |
| 2–3 | 51 (29.8) | 30 (28.3) | 21 (32.3) | |
| 4–5 | 13 (7.6) | 4 (3.8) | 9 (13.8) | |
| 6 | 3 (1.8) | 1 (0.9) | 2 (3.1) | |
| Prior immunosuppressive agent use | ||||
| Glucocorticoids | 64 (37.4) | 0 (0.0) | 64 (98.5) | < 0.001 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 1 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.5) | 0.380 |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 2 (1.2) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.1) | 0.143 |
| Tacrolimus | 1 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.5) | 0.380 |
| Cyclosporine | 2 (1.2) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.1) | 0.143 |
| Azathioprine | 10 (5.8) | 0 (0.0) | 10 (15.4) | < 0.001 |
| Methotrexate | 3 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (4.6) | 0.053 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 44 (25.7) | 0 (0.0) | 44 (67.7) | < 0.001 |
Values are expressed as median (interquartile range) or n (%)
aMixed lupus nephritis cases were counted for each respective class