Table 1.
Clinical characteristics and ongoing treatment of 72 SLE patients
| Clinical characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Age at study, median (range), years | 38 (18–52) |
| Disease duration, median (range), years | 10 (0–32) |
| SLICC/ACR-Damage Index, median (range) | 0 (0–5) |
| SLEDAI-2 K, median (range) | 2 (0–18) |
| SLICC classification criteria | |
| Acute cutaneous lupus, n (%) | 53 (74%) |
| Chronic cutaneous lupus, n (%) | 18 (25%) |
| Oral or nasal ulcers, n (%) | 31 (43%) |
| Nonscarring alopecia, n (%) | 24 (33%) |
| Joint disease, n (%) | 62 (86%) |
| Serositis, n (%) | 29 (40%) |
| Renal manifestations, n (%) | 29 (40%) |
| Neurologic manifestations, n (%) | 13 (18%) |
| Haemolytic anaemia, n (%) | 4 (6%) |
| Leukopenia/lymphopenia, n (%) | 42 (58%) |
| Thrombocytopenia, n (%) | 20 (28%) |
| ANA, n (%) | 71 (99%) |
| Anti-dsDNA, n (%) | 44 (61%) |
| Anti-Sm, n (%) | 11 (15%) |
| Anti-PL, n (%) | 24 (33%) |
| Low complement, n (%) | 43 (60%) |
| Positive Direct Coombs test, n (%) | 2 (3%) |
| Medication, ongoing | |
| Cyclophosphamide, n (%) | 1 (1%) |
| Azathioprine, n (%) | 23 (32%) |
| Mycophenolate, n (%) | 16 (22%) |
| Rituximab, n (%) | 1 (1%) |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 1 (1%) |
| Belimumab, n (%) | 8 (11%) |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 57 (79%) |
| Any DMARD except hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 43 (60%) |
| Intravenous immunoglobulin, n (%) | 2 (3%) |
| Prednisolone, n (%) | 57 (79%) |
| Prednisolone daily dose, median (range), mg/day | 5 (0–25) |
SLICC: Systemic lupus erythematosus international collaborating clinics. ACR: american college of rheumatology. SLEDAI-2 K: SLE disease activity Index 2000. ANA: Antinuclear antibody. Anti-dsDNA: anti-double stranded DNA. Anti-Sm: anti-smith. Anti-PL: anti-phospholipid antibody. DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drug