Demographic and clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of the patients with LN. Values are mean ± SD unless otherwise specified.
| Variables | aPL+ with Histological aPLN, Group 1, n = 43 | aPL– with Histological aPLN, Group 2, n = 45 | aPL– without Histological aPLN, Group 3, n = 119 | aPL+ without Histological aPLN, Group 4, n = 24 | Overall Comparison, p | Group 1 vs Group 2, p | Group 1 vs Group 3, p | Group 1 vs Group 4, p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 32 ± 11 | 34 ± 10 | 26 ± 10 | 24 ± 11 | < 0.001 | 0.312 | 0.008 | 0.004 |
| Male:female ratio | 13:30 | 5:40 | 17:102 | 3:21 | 0.057 | 0.027 | 0.021 | 0.105 |
| SLE-biopsy time interval, mos* | 85.1 ± 47.4 | 62.4 ± 45.7 | 43.0 ± 27.6 | 48.0 ± 38.4 | 0.256 | 0.814 | 0.243 | 0.700 |
| APS, n (%) | 6 (14.0) | 0 | 0 | 3 (12.5) | 0.002 | 0.011 | < 0.001 | 1.000 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 142 ± 26 | 135 ± 24 | 126 ± 22 | 134 ± 26 | 0.002 | 0.210 | 0.001 | 0.231 |
| Mean BP, mmHg | 106 ± 20 | 102 ± 16 | 96 ± 17 | 101 ± 21 | 0.006 | 0.408 | 0.002 | 0.277 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 26 (60.5) | 22 (48.9) | 45 (37.8) | 10 (41.7) | 0.701 | 0.276 | 0.010 | 0.139 |
| Scr at biopsy, μmol/l | 123 ± 108 | 150 ± 139 | 91 ± 41 | 112 ± 141 | 0.001 | 0.707 | 0.003 | 0.027 |
| eGFR at biopsy, ml/min·1.73m2 | 67.6 ± 29.5 | 65.4 ± 39.6 | 87.7 ± 23.9 | 89.4 ± 35.0 | < 0.001 | 0.524 | < 0.001 | 0.020 |
| 24 h proteinuria, g/day | 5.20 ± 4.03 | 6.91 ± 6.34 | 4.21 ± 3.80 | 5.09 ± 4.42 | 0.025 | 0.226 | 0.145 | 0.873 |
| 24 h proteinuria | ||||||||
| ≥ 3 g/day, n (%) | 25 (58.1) | 30 (66.7) | 59 (49.6) | 13 (54.2) | 0.260 | 0.490 | 0.288 | 0.672 |
| SLEDAI | 14 ± 6 | 13 ± 6 | 13 ± 5 | 13 ± 5 | 0.912 | 0.558 | 0.488 | 0.689 |
| ISN/RPS classification, n | ||||||||
| II | 3 | 2 | 20 | 5 | 0.069 | 0.673 | 0.113 | 0.124 |
| III | 13 | 5 | 16 | 6 | 0.038 | 0.026 | 0.014 | 0.649 |
| IV | 16 | 26 | 51 | 6 | 0.052 | 0.053 | 0.519 | 0.308 |
| V | 3 | 7 | 23 | 5 | 0.276 | 0.316 | 0.059 | 0.124 |
| III + V | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.595 | 0.617 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| IV + V | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0.067 | 0.086 | 0.043 | 0.242 |
↵* Time interval between diagnosis of SLE and renal biopsy. Significant values at < 0.05 are in bold face. LN: lupus nephritis; aPL: antiphospholipid antibodies; aPLN: aPL-associated nephropathy; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; APS: antiphospholipid syndrome; BP: blood pressure (1 mmHg = 0.133 Kpa); Scr: serum creatinine; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; ISN/RPS: International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society.