No Medication group matched case-control analysis.
| Cases, n = 38 (%) | Controls, n = 114 (%) | Matched p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Sex (F) | 32 (84.2) | 96 (84.2) | N/A |
| Age at diagnosis, yrs | 36.1 ± 15.2 | 36.6 ± 14.9 | N/A |
| Length of followup at remission onset, yrs | 9.13 ± 8.79 | 8.89 ± 8.50 | N/A |
| Race | |||
| White | 32 (82.4) | 82 (71.9) | 0.02 (white vs all others) |
| Black | 0 (0) | 16 (14.0) | |
| Asian | 2 (5.3) | 10 (8.8) | |
| Other | 4 (10.5) | 6 (5.3) | |
| SLEDAI-2K at first clinic visit | 8.03 ± 9.47 | 10.6 ± 9.04 | 0.02 |
| AMS (from clinic entry to remission onset) | 3.02 ± 1.93 | 5.95 ± 3.56 | < 0.0001 |
| SLICC Damage Index | |||
| Score > 0 | 20/37 (54.1) | 67/109 (61.5) | 0.37 |
| Mean score | 1.08 ± 1.32 | 1.60 ± 2.06 | 0.03 |
| Organ involvement (ever), by SLEDAI-2K, from clinic entry to remission onset (or matched visit) | |||
| Musculoskeletal | 16 (42.1) | 50 (43.9) | 0.73 |
| Skin | 28 (73.7) | 104 (91.2) | 0.0004 |
| Vasculitis | 10 (26.3) | 42 (36.8) | 0.08 |
| Renal | 26 (68.4) | 88 (77.2) | 0.12 |
| Central nervous system | 14 (26.8) | 65 (57.0) | 0.002 |
| Cardiac — SLE-related | 12 (31.6) | 34 (29.8) | 0.74 |
| Cardiac — atherosclerotic* | 4 (10.5) | 19 (16.7) | 0.16 |
| Thrombotic* | 3/25 (12.0) | 10/84 (11.9) | 0.59 |
| Pulmonary* | 5 (13.2) | 34 (29.8) | 0.0009 |
| Medication use from clinic entry | |||
| Corticosteroids | 22 (57.9) | 91 (79.8) | < 0.0001 |
| Antimalarials | 23 (60.5) | 73 (64.0) | 0.55 |
| Immunosuppressives | 9 (23.7) | 54 (47.4) | 0.0003 |
| Cumulative corticosteroid dose (g) | (n = 22)**, 20.7 ± 17.2, (n = 38)***, 12.0 ± 16.6 | (n = 90)** 42.7 ± 37.8 (n = 113)*** 34.0 ± 37.9 | < 0.0001, < 0.0001 |
↵* Diagnosed clinically and/or radiographically, not a component of SLEDAI-2K;
↵** Cumulative corticosteroid dose in patients on corticosteroids at some point;
↵*** Cumulative corticosteroid dose all patients (assume = 0 in patients never taking corticosteroids). SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; AMS: adjusted mean SLEDAI; SLICC: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; N/A: not applicable.