Previous treatments according to the level of remission achieved during the follow-up
| Prolonged complete remission | Prolonged clinical remission off CS | Prolonged clinical remission on CS | Unremitted disease | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients (N) | 16 | 33 | 35 | 140 | |
| Hydroxychloroquine, N (%) | 16 (100) | 32 (97) | 31 (88.6) | 125 (89.3) | n.s. |
| Methylprednisolone iv, N (%) | 5 (31) | 15 (45.5) | 18 (51.4) | 97 (69.3) | 0.007 |
| Cumulative average prednisone dose >180 mg/month, N (%) | 6 (37.5) | 11 (33.3) | 23 (65.7) | 96 (68.5) | 0.02 |
| Immunosuppressants, N (%) | 4 (25) | 9 (27.3) | 25 (71.2) | 122 (87.1) | <0.001 |
| Azathioprine, N (%) | 3 (18.8) | 1 (3.0) | 12 (34.3) | 64 (45.7) | 0.001 0.02* |
| Mycophenolate, N (%) | 1 (6.3) | 3 (9.1) | 12 (34.3) | 82 (58.6) | <0.001 |
| Ciclosporin, N (%) | 1 (6.3) | 1 (3.0) | 6 (14.3) | 33 (23.6) | 0.05 |
| Cyclophosphamide, N (%) | 0 | 5 (15.2) | 10 (28.6) | 51 (36.4) | 0.001 |
| Methotrexate, N (%) | 0 | 1 (3.0) | 5 (14.3) | 27 (19.3) | 0.01 |
| Rituximab, N (%) | 0 | 1 (3.0) | 1 (2.8) | 8 (5.8) | 0.05 |
p Values refer to χ2 test with 3 degrees of freedom.
*Comparing only patients who achieved a remission; p level is 0.02.
CS, corticosteroids.