Baseline characteristics of newly diagnosed SLE patients (n = 11,288).
| Characteristics | n | % |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age, yrs, mean (SD) | 39.41 (15.48) | |
| Sex: male/female, n | 1420/9868 | |
| Index diagnosis yr | ||
| 2001–2004 | 4949 | 43.84 |
| 2005–2008 | 3622 | 32.09 |
| 2009–2012 | 2717 | 24.07 |
| Comorbidity, 12 mos before index date | ||
| Cerebrovascular disease | 535 | 4.74 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 724 | 6.41 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 679 | 6.02 |
| Dyslipidemia | 1054 | 9.34 |
| Renal dysfunction | 831 | 7.36 |
| SLE severity index, 6 mos after cohort entry date | ||
| Mild | 4109 | 36.40 |
| Moderate | 3881 | 34.38 |
| Severe | 3298 | 29.22 |
| SLE medication, 12 mos after cohort entry date | ||
| Glucocorticoid | 10,415 | 92.27 |
| Injectable form | 4568 | 40.47 |
| Other SLE medications | ||
| NSAID | 8954 | 79.32 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 8998 | 79.71 |
| Azathioprine | 3534 | 31.31 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 1707 | 15.12 |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 221 | 1.96 |
| Methotrexate | 591 | 5.24 |
| Leflunomide | 35 | 0.31 |
| Chlorambucil | 22 | 0.19 |
| Rituximab | 3 | 0.03 |
| Average daily prednisolone-equivalent dose, mg, first 3 mos | ||
| Mean (SD) | 56.73 (447.66) | |
| Median | 15.38 | |
SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug.