Table 5.
Laboratory findings at last visit.
| Laboratory items | Asian (n = 134) | Black African/Caribbean (n = 69) | White Caucasian (n = 219) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 12.50 [11.60–13.60] | 11.70 [9.75–12.95] | 13.00 [12.10–14.10] | <0.001 (A vs B = 0.014) |
| White cell count (x 109/l) | 5.51 [4.23–7.14] | 5.53 [3.91–7.86] | 5.40 [4.20–7.11] | 0.717 |
| Platelets (x 109/l) | 265 [218.00–314.75] | 263 [218.50–302.00] | 253 [209.75–304.00] | 0.299 |
| ESR (mm/hr) | 11.50 [6.00–28.25] | 19.00 [10.25–41.50] | 8.00 [3.00–19.50] | <0.001 (C vs A = 0.042; C vs B = <0.001) |
| CRP | 4 [1–5] | 4 [1–5] | 4 [2–5] | 0.141 |
| C3 (g/l) | 1.03 [0.73–1.24] | 1.00 [0.87–1.21] | 1.06 [0.89–1.25] | 0.367 |
| C4 (g/l) | 0.17 [0.12–0.27] | 0.18 [0.12–0.24] | 0.16 [0.12–0.22] | 0.128 |
| Last follow-up ANA positivity | 133/134 (99.3%) (97.8%, 100.0%) | 69/69 (100%) (100.0%,100.0%) | 208/219 (95.0%) (92.1%, 97.9%) | 0.019 |
| Anti-DNA antibody positivity | 96/134 (71.6%) (64.0%, 79.3%) | 55/69 (79.7%)(70.2%, 89.2%) | 156/219 (71.2%) (65.2%, 77.2%) | 0.364 |
| Anti-Smith antibody positivity | 38/134 (28.4%) (20.7%, 36.0%) | 24/69 (34.8%) (23.6%, 46.0%) | 51/219 (23.3%) (17.7%, 28.9%) | 0.151 |
| Antiphospholipid antibody positivity | 31/134 (23.1%) (16.0%, 30.3%) | 19/69 (27.5%) (17.0%, 38.1%) | 68/219 (31.1%) (24.9%, 37.2%) | 0.273 |
All values laboratory titres are reported as median values with interquartile ranges. Antibody positivity variables are reported as the number of positive patients and the associated percentage of their group with 95% confidence intervals. Results of post-hoc pairwise comparison tests (Fisher’s Exact test) are indicated in curved brackets under the p value, indicating where the significant differences lie using the following codes: A = Asian, B = Black African/Caribbean, C = White Caucasian.