Differences between SLE patients with or without headache.
| Characteristics | SLE Patients without Headache, n = 132 | SLE Patients with Headache, n = 38 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs* | 45 ± 14 | 41 ± 11 | 0.109 |
| Sex, female, n (%) | 119 (91) | 37 (97) | 0.302 |
| Level of education, n (%) | |||
| Primary school or less | 53 (40) | 16 (42) | 0.156 |
| Junior school | 41 (31) | 17 (45) | |
| Secondary school/university studies | 38 (29) | 5 (13) | |
| Chronic analgesic intake, n (%) | 87 (66) | 18 (47) | 0.060 |
| Age of SLE onset, yrs* | 31 ± 13 | 30 ± 10 | 0.641 |
| Duration of SLE, yrs* | 13 ± 8 | 11 ± 6 | 0.191 |
| Renal involvement, n (%) | 42 (32) | 12 (32) | 1 |
| Neurological involvement, n (%) | 10 (8) | 5 (13) | 0.330 |
| Anti-dsDNA + (> 30 IU/ml), n (%) | 100 (76) | 24 (63) | 0.182 |
| APS, n (%) | 7 (5) | 5 (13) | 0.023 |
| aPL-positive, n (%) | 0 (0) | 17 (45) | 0.010 |
| Raynaud phenomenon, n (%) | 12 (9) | 3 (8) | 0.300 |
| SLE treatment, n (%)# | |||
| Hydroxychloroquine | 68 (52) | 12 (32) | 0.526 |
| Prednisone | 62 (47) | 13 (34) | 0.129 |
| Azathioprine | 7 (5) | 2 (5) | 0.864 |
| Methotrexate | 7 (5) | 3 (8) | 0.674 |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 20 (15) | 4 (10) | 0.298 |
| SLEDAI* | 2.25 ± 2.53 | 3.11 ± 4.18 | 0.955 |
| SDI* | 0.58 ± 1.04 | 0.50 ± 1.03 | 0.443 |
| Chronic psychological stress | |||
| Average score* | 24.5 ± 8.7 | 29.9 ± 8.9 | 0.001 |
↵* Results are expressed as mean ± SD.
↵# Cumulative data. 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.