Comparison of male and female white SLE (n = 1194).
| Characteristics/manifestations | Male, n = 104 n (%) | Female, n = 1090 n (%) | OR (95% CI)* | Adjusted p* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative clinical and laboratory features | ||||
| Age at last assessment, yrs | ||||
| ≤ 30 | 13 (12.5) | 193 (17.9) | 1.5 (0.8, 2.9)** | 0.1770† |
| > 30 | 91 (87.5) | 884 (82.1) | ||
| Age at onset, yrs | ||||
| ≤ 30 | 49 (47.6) | 657 (61.2) | 1.1 (0.6, 2.1)** | 0.8492 |
| > 30 | 54 (52.4) | 417 (38.8) | ||
| Age at diagnosis, yrs | ||||
| ≤ 30 | 34 (33.0) | 541 (49.9) | 1.8 (1.0, 3.3)** | 0.0394†† |
| > 30 | 69 (67.0) | 544 (50.1) | ||
| Education level, yrs | ||||
| ≤ 12 | 40 (39.6) | 314 (69.7) | 1.4 (0.9, 2.2)** | 0.1264 |
| > 12 | 61 (60.4) | 721 (60.4) | ||
| Obesity | 59 (56.7) | 459 (42.4) | 1.7 (1.1, 2.5) | 0.0155 |
| Disability | 29 (27.9) | 197 (18.5) | 1.7 (1.1, 2.7) | 0.0254 |
| History of smoking | 45 (43.7) | 422 (38.9) | 1.1 (0.7, 1.7) | 0.5589 |
| Clinical features | ||||
| Malar rash | 46 (44.7) | 628 (57.8) | 0.6 (0.4, 0.9) | 0.0227 |
| Discoid rash | 15 (14.6) | 141 (13.0) | 1.2 (0.6, 2.1) | 0.6149 |
| Photosensitivity | 43 (41.8) | 701 (64.7) | 0.4 (0.3, 0.6) | < 0.0001 |
| Oral ulcer | 36 (35.0) | 657 (60.5) | 0.4 (0.2, 0.6) | < 0.0001 |
| Alopecia | 20 (19.4) | 502 (46.3) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.5) | < 0.0001 |
| RP | 36 (34.6) | 626 (57.7) | 0.4 (0.3, 0.6) | < 0.0001 |
| Arthralgias | 91 (87.5) | 998 (91.7) | 0.6 (0.3, 1.1) | 0.1051 |
| Arthritis | 71 (68.9) | 775 (71.6) | 0.8 (0.5, 1.3) | 0.4554 |
| Proteinuria | 44 (42.3) | 329 (30.4) | 1.9 (1.3, 3.0) | 0.0027 |
| Nephrotic syndrome | 23 (22.8) | 105 (9.8) | 3.2 (1.9, 5.5) | < 0.0001 |
| Hematuria | 33 (32.0) | 227 (20.9) | 2.0 (1.2, 3.0) | 0.0033 |
| Renal insufficiency | 25 (24.0) | 156 (14.4) | 2.0 (1.2, 3.2) | 0.0071 |
| Renal failure | 13 (12.5) | 52 (4.8) | 3.2 (1.6, 6.2) | 0.0006 |
| Renal biopsy | 33 (31.7) | 202 (18.5) | 2.4 (1.5, 3.8) | 0.0002 |
| Lymphopenia | 49 (47.1) | 411 (38.4) | 1.4 (1.0, 2.2) | 0.0805 |
| Thrombocytopenia | 29 (27.9) | 192 (17.7) | 2.0 (1.3, 3.3) | 0.0029 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| Coombs positivity | 22 (25.6) | 123 (14.8) | 2.3 (1.3, 3.9) | 0.0030 |
| Lupus anticoagulant | 49 (47.6) | 280 (26.5) | 2.6 (1.7, 3.9) | < 0.0001 |
| Anti-Sm | 19 (18.6) | 111 (10.6) | 2.2 (1.2, 3.7) | 0.0059 |
| Anti-dsDNA | 73 (70.2) | 635 (58.6) | 1.9 (1.2, 2.9) | 0.0073 |
| Low C3 | 63 (60.6) | 535 (49.3) | 1.9 (1.2, 2.9) | 0.0041 |
| Low C4 | 52 (50.0) | 493 (45.5) | 1.4 (0.9, 2.1) | 0.1371 |
| History of hypertension | 64 (61.5) | 472 (43.5) | 2.0 (1.3, 3.1) | 0.0020 |
| Deep vein thrombosis | 23 (22.1) | 145 (13.4) | 1.9 (1.2, 3.2) | 0.0110 |
| SLICC/ACR Damage Index | ||||
| Neuropsychiatric damage | ||||
| Cognitive impairment | 9 (8.7) | 87 (8.1) | 1.0 (0.5, 2.1) | 0.9535 |
| Seizures requiring therapy for 6 mo | 10 (9.6) | 50 (4.6) | 2.3 (1.1, 4.7) | 0.0233 |
| Renal damage | ||||
| GFR < 50% | 9 (8.7) | 43 (4.0) | 2.6 (1.2, 5.5) | 0.0158 |
| Proteinuria 3.5 g/24 h | 14 (13.6) | 42 (3.9) | 4.2 (2.1, 8.2) | < 0.0001 |
| Endstage renal disease | 7 (6.7) | 28 (2.6) | 3.0 (1.2, 7.1) | 0.0141 |
| Pulmonary damage | ||||
| Pulmonary fibrosis | 3 (2.9) | 58 (5.4) | 0.5 (0.1, 1.6) | 0.2214 |
| Cardiovascular damage | ||||
| Angina | 10 (9.6) | 36 (3.3) | 2.7 (1.2, 6.0) | 0.0133 |
| Myocardial infarction | 11 (10.6) | 36 (3.3) | 3.2 (1.5, 7.1) | 0.0033 |
| Cardiomyopathy | 3 (2.9) | 25 (2.3) | 1.2 (0.3, 4.1) | 0.7813 |
| Left ventricular hypertrophy | 9 (8.7) | 32 (3.1) | 2.7 (1.2, 6.0) | 0.0157 |
| Venous thrombosis | 11 (10.6) | 42 (3.9) | 3.2 (1.6, 6.5) | 0.0014 |
| Hypertension for > 6 mo | 35 (34) | 299 (27.9) | 1.3 (0.8, 2.0) | 0.3125 |
| Musculoskeletal | ||||
| Avascular necrosis | 12 (11.5) | 65 (6.0) | 2.3 (1.2, 4.5) | 0.0144 |
| Malignancy | 18 (17.5) | 115 (10.7) | 1.7 (0.9, 3.0) | 0.0773 |
| Death | 6 (5.8) | 48 (4.4) | 1.2 (0.5, 3.0) | 0.6302 |
↵* Adjusted for ethnicity, history of smoking, age at last assessment, and duration of SLE at last assessment.
↵** The ratio of the odds of the event “> 30,” or “≤ 12,” occurring in males to the odds in females.
↵† Adjusted for ethnicity, history of smoking, and duration of SLE at last assessment.
↵†† Adjusted for ethnicity, history of smoking, and age at last assessment. SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; RP: Raynaud’s phenomenon; SLICC/ACR: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology; GFR: glomerular filtration rate.