Table 3

Clinical manifestations and treatment of flares according to treatment group

Patient	Time to flare (days)	Clinical manifestations	Flare according to SFI	SELENA-SLEDAI score	PGA	Flare according to BILAG 2004 index	BILAG 2004 score	Treatment
Prednisone maintenance group
# 23	313	Arthritis, diffuse alopecia, constitutional signs	Mild/moderate	10	1.1	Mild	1B, 2C	Pred 15 mg/day
# 76	358	Arthritis, nephritis (class V), leucopenia	Severe	13	1.5	Severe	1A, 1B, 1C	Pred 30 mg/day+MMF 2 g/day
# 108	336	Mucosal ulcers, mild arthritis, lymphopenia	Mild/moderate	4	0.4	Mild	3C	No change
# 109	267	Arthritis, diffuse alopecia	Mild/moderate	10	1.0	Mild	1B, 1C	Pred 10 mg/day
Prednisone withdrawal group
# 4	99	Arthritis, mucosal ulcers, subacute cutaneous lupus, malar rash, lymphopenia	Mild/moderate	8	1.5	Moderate	2B, 1C	Pred 10 mg/day+↗ HCQ 600 mg/day+TLD 100 mg/day
# 19	324	Subacute cutaneous lupus, diffuse alopecia, leucopenia	Mild/moderate	7	0.7	Mild	1B, 2C	↗ HCQ 600 mg/day
# 27	285	Constitutional signs, psychosis (catatonia), nephritis (class V)	Severe	19	2.6	Severe	3A	Pred 10 mg/day+MMF 2 g/day+plasmapheresis
# 40	41	Pericarditis, arthritis	Severe	6	2.1	Severe	1A, 1B	IVMP followed by pred 30 mg/day+MTX 15 mg/week+belimumab
# 43	179	Malar rash, diffuse alopecia	Mild/moderate	4	1.0	Mild	1B, 1C	No change
# 56	42	Subacute cutaneous lupus, arthritis	Mild/moderate	6	1.0	Moderate	2B	Pred 5 mg/day
# 58	237	Arthritis	Severe	4	1.0	Severe	1A	IVMP followed by pred 15 mg/day
# 59	163	Arthritis, diffuse alopecia	Mild/moderate	8	0.9	Mild	1B, 1C	Pred 5 mg/day
# 71	35	Cranial neuropathy (acute hearing loss)	Severe	10	1.4	Severe	1A	IVMP followed by pred 60 mg/day
# 72	364	Arthritis	Mild/moderate	4	0.9	Mild	1B	Pred 10 mg/day+↗ MTX 15 mg/week
# 77	86	Arthritis, diffuse alopecia	Mild/moderate	10	0.9	Mild	1B, 1C	Pred 15 mg/day
# 78	182	Arthritis, lymphopenia	Mild/moderate	6	1.0	Mild	1B, 1C	Pred 15 mg/day
# 82	70	Arthritis	Mild/moderate	6	0.9	Mild	1B	Pred 15 mg/day
# 91	112	Arthritis, rash, diffuse alopecia, thrombocytopenia	Mild/moderate	11	1.0	Moderate	2B, 2C	Pred 10 mg/day
#94	135	Arthritis	Mild/moderate	4	0.9	Mild	1B	Pred 10 mg/day
# 95	321	Nephritis (class V)	Severe	6	1.5	Severe	1A	MMF 2 g/day
#107	100	Arthritis, constitutional signs	Mild/moderate	8	0.9	Mild	1B, 1C	Pred 15 mg/day

Cytopenia was defined as leucopenia <3 g/L, lymphopenia <1 g/L and thrombocytopenia <100 g/L.
↗, increase; BILAG, British Isles Lupus Assessment Group;HCQ, hydroxychloroquine; IVMP, intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone; MMF, mycophenolate mofetil; MTX, methotrexate; PGA, Physician’s Global Assessment; pred, prednisone; SELENA-SLEDAI, Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus:National Assessment version of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index;SFI, SELENA-SLEDAI flare index; TLD, thalidomide.