Characteristic | Antimalarial use | P values | |
User | Non-user | ||
Demographics | |||
Numbers of patients | 562 (41.0%) | 810 (59.0%) | |
Women | 526 (93.6%) | 740 (91.4%) | ns |
Age (years) | 32.7 (12.1) | 36.1 (12.6) | <0.0001 |
Disease characteristics | |||
Disease duration (years)* | 3.1 (5.0) | 3.7 (5.4) | ns |
SLEDAI on admission | 14.4 (7.4) | 14.6 (8.8) | ns |
SDI (≥1) on admission | 1.4 (0.61) | 1.6 (1.0) | ns |
Organ involvements† | |||
Mucocutaneous | 420 (74.7%) | 494 (61.0%) | <0.0001 |
Neuropsychiatric | 26 (4.6%) | 66 (8.1%) | 0.0113 |
Musculoskeletal | 325 (57.8%) | 419 (51.7%) | 0.0276 |
Cardiopulmonary | 91 (16.2%) | 191 (23.6%) | 0.0009 |
Gastrointestinal | 114 (20.2%) | 156 (19.3%) | ns |
Ocular | 5 (0.9%) | 4 (0.5%) | ns |
Renal | 270 (48.0%) | 431 (53.2%) | ns |
Haematological | 234 (41.6%) | 383 (47.3%) | 0.0412 |
Serology | |||
Anti-dsDNA positive | 265 (50.4%) | 376 (54.7%) | ns |
Anti-Sm positive | 164 (32.6%) | 239 (34.3%) | ns |
Anti-cardiolipin positive | 69 (29.2%) | 77 (29.7%) | ns |
RF positive | 112 (30.0%) | 131 (27.7%) | ns |
Low C3 complement‡ | 395 (76.6%) | 489 (72.4%) | ns |
Low C4 complement‡ | 343 (76.6%) | 427 (76.8%) | ns |
Medications | |||
Glucocorticoids | 541 (96.3%) | 723 (89.3%) | <0.0001 |
Cyclophosphamide | 224 (40.0%) | 358 (44.2%) | ns |
Other immunosuppressants | 104 (18.5%) | 129 (15.9%) | ns |
Comorbidities | |||
Hypertension | 9 (1.6%) | 22 (2.7%) | ns |
Diabetes mellitus | 26 (4.6%) | 39 (4.8%) | ns |
Infection | 15 (2.7%) | 22 (2.7%) | ns |
↵*From the date of symptom onset to the date of first admission.
↵†Were assessed as Feng et al 5 described.
‡Complement C3 <0.8 g/L, complement C4 <0.2 g/L.
ns, non-significant; RF, rheumatoid factor; SDI, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating and Clinics /American College of Rheumatology Damage Index ; SLEDAI, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index.