Main characteristics of patients with SLE and controls.
| Characteristics | SLE Patients, n = 170 | Control Group, n = 102 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs* | 43.7 ± 13.5 | 43.8 ± 9.0 | 0.919 |
| Female, n (%) | 156 (92) | 95 (93.1) | 0.989 |
| Level of education, n (%) | |||
| Primary school or less | 68 (40) | 31 (30) | 0.134 |
| Junior school | 60 (35) | 21 (21) | |
| Secondary school/university studies | 42 (25) | 50 (49) | |
| Frequency of headache, n (%) | 38 (22.4) | 23 (22.5) | 0.988 |
| Headache disability (MIDAS) | |||
| Group I, n (%) | 20 (53) | 16 (69) | 0.542 |
| Group II, n (%) | 4 (11) | 2 (9) | 0.833 |
| Group III, n (%) | 7 (18) | 2 (9) | 0.237 |
| Group IV, n (%) | 7 (18) | 3 (13) | 0.586 |
| Average score* | 11.9 ± 1.3 | 6.8 ± 0.9 | 0.007 |
| Chronic psychological stress | |||
| Average score* | 25.7 ± 8.9 | 21.4 ± 8.7 | < 0.001 |
| Chronic analgesic intake, n (%) | 105 (62) | 47 (46) | 0.017 |
| Organ involvement, n (%) | |||
| Renal involvement | 54 (20) | ||
| Neurological involvement | 15 (6) | ||
| Anti-dsDNA + (> 30 IU/ml) | 124 (73) | ||
| APS, n (%) | 12 (7) | ||
| APL-positive, n (%) | 17 (10) | ||
| Age of SLE onset, yrs* | 31 ± 12 | ||
| Duration of SLE, yrs* | 12.4 ± 7.9 | ||
| SLEDAI* | 2.4 ± 2.9 | ||
| SDI* | 0.56 ± 1.03 |
↵* Results are expressed as mean ± SD. aPL: antiphospholipid antibodies; APS: antiphospholipid syndrome; SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; SDI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index; SLEDAI: SLE Disease Activity Index; ACR: American College of Rheumatology; MIDAS: Migraine Disability Assessment.