Demographic and disease characteristics in patients who entered the longterm continuation study.
Characteristic | All, n = 296 | Autoantibody Positive, n = 221 |
---|---|---|
Women, % | 93 | 96 |
Mean age, yrs | 43 | 41 |
Ethnicity, % | ||
White | 72 | 69 |
Black | 22 | 24 |
Other | 6 | 7 |
Mean disease duration, yrs | 8.8 | 9.2 |
Mean SELENA-SLEDAI score | 9.2 | 9.4 |
≥ 1 BILAG A or ≥ 2 B scores, % | 64 | 64 |
Mean PGA score | 1.4 | 1.4 |
Daily prednisone use | ||
All doses, % | 67 | 72 |
> 7.5 mg/day, % | 33 | 38 |
Average dose, mg/day | 9.9* | 10.0† |
Immunosuppressant use, % | 50 | 52 |
Azathioprine | 19 | 21 |
Methotrexate | 17 | 15 |
MMF | 14 | 17 |
Positive autoantibodies, %‡ | ||
ANA§ | 73 | 94 |
Anti-dsDNA¶ | 50 | 67 |
Anti-RNP | 44 | 57 |
Anticardiolipin | 26 | 32 |
Anti-Smith | 19 | 24 |
Low C4 (< 16 mg/dl), % | 42 | 50 |
Low C3 (< 90 mg/dl), % | 28 | 36 |
↵In * 199 and
↵† 159 patients taking prednisone at baseline;
↵‡ in patients with baseline assessment for biomarker;
↵§ antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer ≥ 1:80;
↵¶ anti-dsDNA ≥ 30 IU/ml. BILAG: British Isles Lupus Assessment Group; C: complement; MMF: mycophenolate mofetil; PGA: Physician’s Global Assessment; SELENA-SLEDAI: Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-SLE Disease Activity Index.