Demographic and clinical characteristics (ever) of patients with and without flares in the preceding year. Values are number (%) unless otherwise indicated.
| Characteristics | Without Flares, n = 242 | With Flares, n = 61 | p | Entire Group, n = 303 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD yrs | 42.4 ± 11.4 | 36.2 ± 10.3 | < 0.0005 | 41.1 ± 11.5 |
| Female | 234 (97) | 57 (93) | 0.245 | 291 (96) |
| Education level, mean ± SD yrs | 10.2 ± 4.4 | 11.3 ± 3.5 | 0.115 | 10.4 ± 4.3 |
| Disease duration, mean ± SD yrs | 10.2 ± 7.1 | 7.4 ± 5.8 | 0.003 | 9.6 ± 6.9 |
| SLEDAI score, mean ± SD | 2.17 ± 2.64 | 3.67 ± 3.21 | < 0.0005 | 2.5 ± 2.8 |
| SDI score, mean ± SD | 0.74 ± 1.07 | 0.64 ± 1.11 | 0.279 | 0.72 ± 1.08 |
| Organ manifestations | ||||
| Malar rash | 106 (44) | 26 (43) | 0.868 | 132 (44) |
| Discoid lesion | 27 (11) | 13 (21) | 0.036 | 40 (13) |
| Photosensitivity | 77 (32) | 20 (33) | 0.885 | 97 (32) |
| Oral ulcer | 73 (30) | 21 (34) | 0.520 | 94 (31) |
| Arthritis | 191 (79) | 43 (70) | 0.160 | 234 (77) |
| Serositis | 68 (28) | 17 (28) | 0.971 | 85 (28) |
| Renal disease | 138 (57) | 42 (69) | 0.093 | 180 (59) |
| Neuropsychiatric disease | 62 (26) | 21 (34) | 0.168 | 83 (27) |
| Hematologic manifestations | 206 (85) | 56 (92) | 0.173 | 262 (86) |
| Leukopenia | 122 (50) | 36 (59) | 0.229 | 158 (52) |
| Lymphocytopenia | 159 (66) | 37 (61) | 0.461 | 196 (65) |
| Thrombocytopenia | 70 (29) | 20 (33) | 0.555 | 90 (30) |
| Hemolytic anemia | 19 (8) | 6 (10) | 0.615 | 25 (8) |
| Immunological manifestations | 228 (94) | 59 (97) | 0.434 | 287 (95) |
| Anti-dsDNA-positive | 178 (74) | 52 (85) | 0.056 | 230 (76) |
| Anti-Smith-positive | 46 (19) | 18 (30) | 0.073 | 64 (21) |
| Anti-Ro-positive | 132 (55) | 35 (57) | 0.691 | 167 (55) |
| Anti-La-positive | 50 (21) | 7 (11) | 0.101 | 57 (19) |
| ANA-positive | 239 (99) | 60 (98) | 0.386 | 299 (99) |
SLEDAI: SLE Disease Activity Index; SDI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index.