Analysis of men with SLE at screening, according to presence of coronary artery calcification.
| Variable | SLE with Calcification†, n = 17 | SLE without Calcification, n = 78 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, yrs, mean (SD) | 43.9 (7.1) | 32.7 (9.5) | < 0.001 |
| Education, yrs, mean (SD) | 13.8 (3.8) | 13.2 (3.6) | 0.52 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 27.7 (6.1) | 26.4 (5.7) | 0.27 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 95.9 (14.0) | 89.1 (14.4) | 0.02 |
| Higher waist*, n (%) | 11 (65) | 29 (37) | 0.06 |
| Coronary artery risk factors | |||
| Current smoking, n (%) | 7 (41) | 11 (14) | 0.02 |
| Ever smoking, n (%) | 11 (65) | 37 (47) | 0.29 |
| HTN, n (%)‡ | 10 (59) | 27 (35) | 0.10 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm/Hg, mean (SD) | 119.4 (7.5) | 114.9 (9.7) | 0.04 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm/Hg, mean (SD) | 77.1 (7.7) | 73.9 (8.6) | 0.09 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 3 (18) | 5 (6) | 0.15 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 182.5 (47.1) | 184.5 (59.7) | 0.99 |
| Low-density lipoprotein, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 108.3 (36.6) | 113.3 (43.3) | 0.65 |
| High-density lipoprotein, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 37.2 (11.8) | 39.6 (11.3) | 0.35 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 185.6 (68.9) | 169.8 (126.2) | 0.07 |
| Glucose, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 98.8 (29.8) | 87.7 (9.2) | 0.14 |
| Apolipoprotein B, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 96.1 (22.1) | 97.1 (32.4) | 0.69 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl, median (min–max) | 1.04 (0.36–13.41) | 0.91 (0.42–19.04) | 0.12 |
| eGFR (CKD-EPI), ml/min, median (min–max) | 85 (4–149) | 108 (3–169) | 0.02 |
| eGFR < 60 ml/min, n (%) | 4 (24) | 10 (13) | 0.25 |
| Homocysteine, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 18.9 (17.4) | 13.3 (7.5) | 0.16 |
| Ultrasensitive CRP, mg/l, mean (SD) | 5.6 (6.1) | 3.6 (5.0) | 0.10 |
| MetS, n (%) | 11 (65) | 23 (29) | 0.01 |
| Framingham risk score, median (min–max) | 5 (2–25) | 3 (2–13) | 0.003 |
| SLE characteristics | |||
| Age at diagnosis, yrs, mean (SD) | 30.2 (10.2) | 25.5 (8.9) | 0.07 |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean (SD) | 13.7 (9.8) | 7.1 (5.7) | 0.01 |
| SLEDAI adjusted mean (SD) | 3.9 (2.5) | 4.7 (2.8) | 0.32 |
| SLICC/DI score, mean (SD) | 2.0 (1.7) | 0.9 (1.2) | 0.02 |
| SLICC/DI > 0, n (%) | 14 (82) | 48 (62) | 0.16 |
| SLE criteria, n (%) | |||
| Arthritis | 12 (71) | 62 (79) | 0.52 |
| Oral ulcers | 5 (29) | 23 (29) | 1.00 |
| Malar rash | 8 (47) | 29 (37) | 0.58 |
| Discoid rash | 1 (6) | 7 (9) | 1.00 |
| Photosensitivity | 3 (18) | 17 (22) | 1.00 |
| Serositis | 4 (24) | 19 (24) | 1.00 |
| Renal | 10 (59) | 52 (67) | 0.58 |
| Neurology | 3 (18) | 8 (10) | 0.41 |
| Hematology | 11 (65) | 48 (62) | 1.00 |
| Immunology | 11 (65) | 50 (64) | 1.00 |
| ANA | 15 (88) | 75 (96) | 0.22 |
| Autoantibodies profile, n (%) | |||
| Anti-dsDNA antibodies | 2 (12) | 32 (41) | 0.03 |
| Anti-Sm antibodies | 5 (29) | 34 (44) | 0.42 |
| Anti-RNP/Sm antibodies | 7 (41) | 34 (44) | 1.00 |
| Anti-SSA antibodies | 4 (24) | 20 (26) | 1.00 |
| Anti-SSB antibodies | 13 (76) | 52 (67) | 0.57 |
| Antiphospholipid antibodies, n (%) | |||
| IgM anticardiolipin antibodies | 2 (12) | 9 (12) | 1.00 |
| IgG anticardiolipin antibodies | 4 (24) | 15 (19) | 0.74 |
| IgM anti-β2-GPI antibodies | 2 (12) | 7 (9) | 0.66 |
| IgG anti-β2-GPI antibodies | 4 (24) | 12 (15) | 0.48 |
| Treatment | |||
| Prednisone use, ever, n (%) | 11 (65) | 59 (76) | 0.37 |
| Cumulative dose of prednisone, g, median (min–max) | 57.5 (8.5–454) | 19.7 (0–114) | < 0.001 |
| AZA use, ever, n (%) | 13 (76) | 40 (51) | 0.07 |
| CYC use, ever, n (%) | 5 (29) | 26 (33) | 1.00 |
| Anti-malarials, n (%) | 11 (65) | 46 (59) | 0.79 |
| Low-dose aspirin, n (%) | 7 (41) | 20 (26) | 0.24 |
↵* Male > 90 cm, female > 80 cm.
↵† Coronary artery calcification defined as total calcium score > 0.
↵‡ HTN defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; SLEDAI: SLE Disease Activity Index; MetS: metabolic syndrome; ANA: antinuclear antibodies; HTN: hypertension; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; CKD-EPI: Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration; SLICC/DI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index; anti-β2-GPI: apolipoprotein H; AZA: azathioprine; CYC: cyclophosphamide.