Baseline characteristics of the 117 patients with SLE treated with rituximab
| Age at first RTX infusion, median (IQR) years | 39 (26–52) | |
| No. female patient (%) | 109 (93) | |
| Ethnicity, N (%) | ||
| Caucasian | 80 (68) | |
| Afro-Caribbean | 11 (10) | |
| South Asian | 20 (17) | |
| Other | 6 (5) | |
| SLE disease duration at first RTX, median (IQR) years | 6 (2–11) | |
| Positive ANA at diagnosis, N (%) | 117 (100) | |
| Antibody status at first RTX infusion, N (%) Positive | 108 (92) | |
| anti-dsDNA | 56 (48) | |
| Anti-Ro | 57 (49) | |
| Anti-La | 18 (15) | |
| Anti-Smith | 15 (13) | |
| Anti-Chromatin | 19 (16) | |
| Anti-RNP | 23 (20) | |
| Anti-Ribosomal P | 6 (5) | |
| Anti-Cardiolipin/anti-B2-glycoprotein | 14 (12) | |
| Prior CYC therapy, N (%) | 63 (54) | |
| Cumulative dose of CYC, mean ± SD gram | 6.6 ± 4.2 | |
| Number of prior immunosuppressant failure (including CYC but excluding glucocorticoid), median (range) | 3 (0–9) | |
| Concomitant antimalarials, N (%) | 88 (75) | |
| Concomitant immunosuppressant, N (%) | ||
| Azathioprine | 19 (16) | |
| Methotrexate | 16 (14) | |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 39 (33) | |
| Prednisolone dose at first RTX infusion, median (IQR) mg | 10 (3–20) | |
| ESR at first RTX infusion, median (IQR) mm/hour | 29 (15–57) | |
| BILAG index score at baseline, N (%) | ||
| ≥1 A score | 96 (82) | |
| No A score but ≥2 B scores | 16 (14) | |
| BILAG domains at baseline, N (%) | Grade A | Grade B |
| General | 9 (8) | 12 (10) |
| Mucocutaneous | 23 (20) | 32 (27) |
| Neurological | 17 (15) | 17 (15) |
| Musculoskeletal | 30 (26) | 24 (20) |
| Cardiorespiratory | 6 (5) | 13 (11) |
| Gastrointestinal | 6 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Ophthalmic | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Renal | 34 (29) | 0 (0) |
| Haematology | 11 (9) | 12 (10) |
| Global BILAG score, median (IQR) | 21 (14–27) | |
| SLEDAI-2K score, median (IQR) | 10 (6–14) | |
| SLICC Damage Index, median (IQR) | 0 (0–1) | |
ANA, antinuclear antibody; BILAG, British Isles Lupus Assessment Group; CYC, cyclophosphamide; dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RNP, ribonucleic protein; RTX, rituximab; SLEDAI-2K, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000; SLICC, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC).