SLE status, laboratory findings, and clinical symptomatology.
| Characteristic | Flare | Remission | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disease status | |||
| Time from diagnosis, yrs, mean ± SD | 5.4 ± 5.3 | ||
| Time from flare, days, median (IQR) | 219.0 (655) | ||
| Previous flares1, median (IQR) | 3.0 (3) | ||
| SLEDAI, mean ± SD | 14.3 ± 5.7 | 2.6 ± 1.8 | < 0.001 |
| SLICC > 0, n (%) | 10 (18.9) | 13 (24.5) | 0.250 |
| Laboratory findings | |||
| Leukopenia2, n (%) | 4 (7.5) | 1 (1.9) | 0.375 |
| Lymphopenia3, n (%) | 28 (52.8) | 21 (39.6) | 0.167 |
| Thrombopenia4, n (%) | 3 (5.7) | 0 (0.0) | < 0.001 |
| ≤ 192,000 × 109/l platelets, n (%) | 18 (34.0) | 5 (9.4) | 0.002 |
| High anti-dsDNA5, n (%) | 44 (86.3) | 39 (76.5) | 0.180 |
| Ratio anti-dsDNA6, median (IQR) | 5.6 (19.0) | 3.6 (9.3) | 0.002 |
| Low complement C37, n (%) | 31 (58.5) | 11 (20.8) | < 0.001 |
| Low complement C48, n (%) | 27 (50.9) | 11 (20.8) | < 0.001 |
| Low CH50 activity9, n (%) | 27 (61.4) | 10 (19.6) | < 0.001 |
| Hyperfibrinogenemia10, n (%) | 40 (75.5) | 39 (73.6) | 1.000 |
| Pathological creatinine11, n (%) | 8 (15.1) | 9 (17.0) | 1.000 |
| Pathological proteinuria12, n (%) | 33 (62.3) | 11 (21.8) | < 0.001 |
| Clinical symptomatology | |||
| Renal, n (%) | 34 (64.2) | 6 (11.3) | |
| Neurological, n (%) | 2 (3.8) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Musculoskeletal (arthritis or myositis), n (%) | 26 (49.1) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Serositis, n (%) | 10 (18.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Mucocutaneous lesions, n (%) | 23 (43.4) | 1 (1.9) | |
↵1 Previous flares: any flare with SLEDAI ≥ 6 was considered (including the current flare);
↵2 leukopenia (according to SLEDAI): < 3,000 × 106 cells/l;
↵3 lymphopenia: < 1,500 × 106 cells/l;
↵4 thrombopenia (according to SLEDAI): < 100 × 106 cells/l;
↵5 high anti-dsDNA titers (by ELISA): above normal range for testing laboratory;
↵6 Ratio anti-dsDNA: patient’s level/upper level of normality;
↵7 low complement C3: < 85 mg/dl;
↵8 low complement C4: < 10 mg/dl;
↵9 low CH50 activity: < 34 U/ml;
↵10 hyperfibrinogenemia: > 3.17 g/l;
↵11 pathological creatinine: Female > 1.1 mg/dl, male > 1.3 mg/dl;
↵12 pathological proteinuria: > 500 mg/dl/24 h. IQR: interquartile range; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; SLICC: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics.