Demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort (n = 216). Values are expressed as n (%) unless otherwise noted.
| Age at study, yrs, mean (SD) | 49 (15) |
| Age at diagnosis of SLE, yrs, mean (SD) | 36 (15) |
| Sex: female | 200 (92) |
| SLE duration, yrs, mean (SD) | 12 (9) |
| Autoantibodies | |
| Anti-DNA | 106 (48.8) |
| Anti-Ro | 70 (32.3) |
| Anti-La | 18 (8) |
| Anti-RNP | 30 (13.8) |
| Anti-Sm | 29 (13.4) |
| Antiphospholipid antibodies | 75 (34.6) |
| Lupus nephritis | 60 (27.6) |
| Antiphospholipid syndrome | 21 (9.7) |
| SDI at ABI | |
| 0 | 98 (45.2) |
| 1 | 53 (24.4) |
| 2 | 31 (14.3) |
| 3 | 19 (8.8) |
| 4 | 11 (5.1) |
| 5 | 4 (1.8) |
| 8 | 1 (0.5) |
| SLEDAI at ABI | |
| 0 | 104 (48.1) |
| 1–5 | 91 (42.2) |
| ≥ 6 | 21 (9.7) |
| Use of prednisone: y/n | 191/25 |
| Average daily dose of prednisone, mg/d, mean (SD) | 5.6 |
| Use of hydroxychloroquine:y/n | 193/23 |
| Use of immunosuppressive drugs | |
| Cyclophosphamide: y/n | 52/164 |
| Mycophenolate: y/n | 34/182 |
| Azathioprine: y/n | 64/152 |
| Use of statins: y/n | 73/143 |
ABI: Ankle-brachial index; SDI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index.