Table 1.
Demographics, disease characteristics and medication use
| Characteristics | HC (n = 22) | iSLE (n = 34) | SLE (n = 41) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 45 (28–58) | 45 (29–63) | 43 (30–51) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 18 (82) | 27 (79) | 34 (83) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |||
| Caucasian | 22 (100) | 30 (88) | 37 (90) |
| Asian | NA | 2 (6) | 1 (2) |
| Other | NA | 2 (6) | 3 (7) |
| Time since first complaints, months | NA | 14 (5–36) | 32 (18–52) |
| Number of SLICC criteria | NA | 3 (2–3) | 5 (5–6) |
| Number of ACR criteria | NA | 3 (2–3) | 5 (4–6) |
| SLEDAI score | NA | 0 (0–2) | 2 (0–4) |
| Increased total IgG (>16 g/l) | 1 (5) | 7 (21) (n = 33)a | 3 (7) |
| Positive anti-dsDNA (>15 IU/ml) | 0 | 8 (24) (n = 33)a | 17 (42) |
| Positive anti-SSA (>10 U/ml) | 0 | 16 (47) | 12 (29) |
| Positive anti-Smith (>10 U/ml) | 0 | 1 (3) | 5 (12) |
| C3 decreased (<0.9 g/l) | NA | 5 (15) | 12 (29) |
| C4 decreased (<0.1 g/l) | NA | 2 (6) | 7 (17) |
| Medication use | |||
| NSAIDs | NA | 9 (28) | 8 (20) |
| Prednisone | NA | 0 | 12 (29) |
| HCQ | NA | 10 (29) | 34 (83) |
| AZA | NA | 0 | 6 (15) |
| MMF | NA | 0 | 8 (20) |
a
Data are reported as median (interquartile range) or n (%). Baseline data not available for all participants. HCs: healthy controls; iSLE: incomplete SLE; NA: not applicable.