Demographics, disease characteristics and concomitant SLE medications at baseline
| BLISS-52 (n=865) | BLISS-76 (n=819) | Pooled data (n=1684) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Sex, female, % | 94.9 | 93.3 | 94.1 |
| Age, years, mean±SD | 35.5±11.1 | 40.2±11.5 | 37.8±11.5 |
| Ethnicity, % | |||
| White | 26.5 | 69.5 | 47.4 |
| Asian | 37.8 | 3.4 | 21.1 |
| Black | 3.5 | 14.4 | 8.8 |
| Disease characteristics | |||
| SLE disease duration, years, mean±SD | 5.31±5.32 | 7.52±7.10 | 6.38±6.35 |
| SELENA–SLEDAI score, mean±SD | 9.75±3.76 | 9.67±3.75 | 9.71±3.76 |
| BILAG organ domain involvement | |||
| ≥1 A or ≥2 B scores, % | 58.3 | 63.5 | 60.8 |
| ≥1 A score, % | 19.0 | 12.1 | 15.6 |
| Medication, % | |||
| Corticosteroids | |||
| ≤7.5 mg/day* | 26.6 | 30.2 | 28.3 |
| >7.5 mg/day* | 69.4 | 45.9 | 58.0 |
| Other immunosuppressive agents† | 42.2 | 55.6 | 48.7 |
| Azathioprine | 25.7 | 20.4 | 23.1 |
| Methotrexate | 9.1 | 18.6 | 13.7 |
| Mycophenolate | 6.0 | 16.7 | 11.2 |
| Cyclosporin | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Leflunomide | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Antimalarials | 67.2 | 63.4 | 65.3 |
| NSAID | 20.0 | 40.8 | 30.1 |
| HMG CoA reductase inhibitors | 8.2 | 10.1 | 7.6 |
↵* Prednisone or prednisone-equivalent dose.
↵† 0.7% of patients received oral cyclophosphamide, 0.4% mizorbine and 0.2% thalidomide.
BILAG, British Isles Lupus Assessment Group; HMG CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl–coenzyme A; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent; SELENA–SLEDAI, Safety of Oestrogens in Lupus National Assessment–Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.