Table 1.
Comparison of demographic variables in the two study groups
| Variables | N-acetylcysteine | Control | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 36.1±0.1 | 37.0±5.5 | 0.899 | |
| Gender; male/female | 15 (37.5%)/25 (62.5%) | 8 (20%)/32 (80%) | 0.370 | |
| SLE disease duration (year) | 11.0±4.9 | 9.0±5.4 | 0.598 | |
| Hemoglobin (mg/dl) | 12.1±0.8 | 12.2±1.6 | 0.428 | |
| Hematocrit (mg/dl) | 35.7±3.0 | 36.0±0.4 | 0.435 | |
| White blood cell count (cell/m3) | 5786±2159 | 6813±3658 | 0.369 | |
| Platelet (cell/m3) | 248,065±91,202 | 314,600±81,624 | 0.024 | |
| ESR (mm) | 35±20.9 | 33.2±25.1 | 0.871 | |
| AST (IU/L) | 36.6±1.2 | 47.5±26.5 | 0.357 | |
| ALT (IU/L) | 86.7±35.4 | 38.1±19.0 | 0.042 | |
| Anti-dsDNA (IU/mL) | 71.47±11.92 | 63.32±12.76 | 0.342 | |
| ANA titer (IU/mL) | 92.15±16.55 | 93.34±15.29 | 0.999 | |
| C3 mg/dL | 45.70±6.94 | 43.8±721 | 0.999 | |
| C4 mg/dL | 54.49±5.88 | 50.27±6.2 | 0.999 | |
| CH50 % | 80.2±14.25 | 78±11.6 | 0.889 | |
| Proteinuria ≥ 0.5 g/24-h urine | 21.48±2.45 | 19.65±4.12 | 0.671 | |
| BILAG score | 6.65±1.73 | 6.52±1.52 | 0.672 | |
| SLEDAI score | 2.65±0.70 | 2.71±0.72 | 0.435 | |
| Drugs | Prednisolone | 36 | 34 | 0.599 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 26 | 34 | 0.283 | |
| Azathioprine | 14 | 14 | 0.627 | |
| Mycophenolate mofetil + prednisolone+ hydroxychloroquine | 8 | 8 | 0.655 | |
| Prednisolone+ hydroxychloroquine | 33 | 30 | 0.895 | |
| Prednisolone+ azathioprine | 14 | 10 | 0.999 | |
| Prednisolone + azathioprine+ hydroxychloroquine | 8 | 6 | 0.999 | |
SLE systemic lupus erythematosus, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, AST aspartate aminotransferase, ALT alanine aminotransferase, dsDNA double-stranded DNA, IU international unit, C3 C3 component of complement proteins, C4 C4 component of complement proteins, CH50 50% complement haemolytic activity, BILAG British isles lupus assessment group, SLEDAI Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index