Baseline characteristics of 557 patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus and comparison between included* and excluded patients of the growth study
| Baseline characteristics | n | Included (n=331) | n | Excluded (n=226) | p† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, females | 331 | 276 (83.4 %) | 226 | 183 (81.0 %) | 0.46 |
| Age at disease onset, years | 331 | 12.3 (10.4, 14.1) | 226 | 12.0 (10.0, 14.0) | 0.41 |
| Age at baseline, years | 331 | 13.9 (11.9, 15.8) | 226 | 14.2 (12.0, 15.8) | 0.48 |
| Disease duration, months | 331 | 5.9 (1.9, 24.5) | 226 | 6.9 (2.2, 36.3) | 0.10 |
| Height z score | 331 | −0.36 (−1.29, 0.57) | 225 | −0.48 (−1.28, 0.26) | 0.32 |
| Parent-adjusted height z score | 274 | −0.27 (−1.05, 0.53) | 176 | −0.07 (−0.96, 0.56) | 0.22 |
| BMI z score | 331 | 0.12 (−0.62, 1.06) | 225 | 0.24 (−0.80, 1.11) | 0.89 |
| Tanner's stage ≥2‡ | 331 | 254 (76.7%) | 226 | 163 (72.1%) | 0.22 |
| Growth failure§ | 274 | 49 (17.9%) | 176 | 18 (10.2%) | 0.03 |
| ECLAM | 331 | 6 (4, 8) | 226 | 6 (4, 8) | 0.53 |
| Urine protein (24-h) | 323 | 0.2 (0.0, 1.1) | 218 | 0.3 (0.0, 1.0) | 0.03 |
| Physician global assessment of disease activity (0–10 cm) | 331 | 5.2 (3.0, 7.7) | 224 | 6.6 (4.5, 8.4) | <0.0001 |
| Physician global assessment of disease damage (0–10 cm) | 323 | 0.0 (0.0, 0.9) | 220 | 0.2 (0.0, 1.5) | 0.018 |
| SLICC DI | 326 | 0 (0, 1) | 224 | 0 (0, 1) | 0.05 |
| Parent global assessment of child well-being (10 cm) | 318 | 4.4 (1.7, 6.8) | 207 | 4.5 (1.3, 7.1) | 0.87 |
| Corticosteroid dose (mg/kg) | 331 | 1 (0.6, 2.1) | 226 | 1.2 (0.7, 31.2) | 0.23 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 331 | 85 (25.7%) | 226 | 47 (20.8%) | 0.18 |
| Azathioprine | 331 | 56 (16.9%) | 226 | 40 (17.7%) | 0.81 |
| Methotrexate | 331 | 16 (4.8%) | 226 | 10 (4.4%) | 0.82 |
| Ciclosporin A | 331 | 7 (2.1%) | 226 | 4 (1.8%) | 0.77 |
Data are medians (1st, 3rd q) or numbers (%) as appropriate.
↵* Included: patients with height available at all four study visits.
↵† Difference between included and excluded patients (Mann–Whitney U test).
↵‡ Females ≥B2, males ≥T2 or testis volume ≥4 ml.
§ Defined as parent-adjusted height z score <−1.5.
ECLAM, European consensus lupus activity measurement; SLICC DI, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index.