Characteristics of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in this study.
| Characteristic | Overall, n = 902 |
|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | |
| Sex | |
| Male | 93 (10.3) |
| Female | 809 (89.7) |
| Age at diagnosis, yrs | 26, 20–36 |
| Age at first symptom, yrs | 25, 19–34 |
| Age at entry, yrs | 27, 20–36 |
| Race or ethnic group | |
| White | 368 (40.9) |
| Mestizo | 378 (42.0) |
| African Latin American | 121 (13.5) |
| Other | 32 (3.6) |
| Socioeconomic status | |
| High/middle high | 81 (9.0) |
| Middle | 253 (28.1) |
| Middle low/low | 565 (62.8) |
| Residence | |
| Urban | 817 (91.1) |
| Rural | 80 (8.9) |
| Medical coverage | |
| None | 135 (15.0) |
| Partial | 227 (25.3) |
| Full | 536 (59.7) |
| Education, yrs | |
| 0–7 | 264 (30.5) |
| 8–12 | 400 (46.2) |
| ≥ 13 | 202 (23.3) |
| Disease duration at entry, mos | |
| Entered at diagnosis | 545 (60.4) |
| Up to 6 | 132 (14.6) |
| 6 to 12 | 101 (11.2) |
| 13 to 24 | 124 (13.7) |
| Clinical characteristics at entry | |
| General manifestations | 652 (72.3) |
| Musculoskeletal | 813 (90.1) |
| Mucocutaneous | 800 (88.7) |
| Ocular | 82 (9.1) |
| Lung | 40 (4.4) |
| Cardiovascular | 298 (33.0) |
| Renal | 398 (44.1) |
| Neurological | 181 (20.1) |
| Hematological | 609 (67.5) |
| Immunological | 583/725 (80.4) |
| Treatments at entry | |
| Antimalarials | 279 (30.9) |
| Prednisone (higher dose before baseline) | |
| None | 427 (47.3) |
| Low (≤ 7.5 mg/day) | 16 (1.8) |
| Medium (> 7.5 ≤ 15 mg/day) | 83 (9.2) |
| High (> 15 < 60 mg/day) | 256 (28.4) |
| Very high (≥ 60 mg/day) | 120 (13.3) |
| Immunosuppressive drugs | 166 (18.4) |
| Disease status (SLEDAI) at entry | 10, 6–16 |
Data are n (%) or median, 25th–75th percentiles. SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index.