Table 1 Comparison of patients with SLE who never had serum NN with the rest of the group

Mean age at first sample (SD)^(*)

37.7 (13.1)

34.9 (12.8)

0.47

% Female (n)^(*)

77.8 (14)

83.9 (26)

0.71

Ethnicity^(*)

0.41

% AC (n)

27.8 (5)

41.9 (13)

% C (n)

61.1 (11)

38.7 (12)

% Other (n)

11.1 (2)

19.3 (6)

Median anti-dsDNA IU/ml (IQR)^{(**) (†)}

29 (13, 97)

82 (17, 171)

0.18

Mean C3 g/l (SD)^(**)

1.0 (0.2)

0.9 (0.3)

0.10

Median Global BILAG score (IQR)^{(**) (†)}

5 (2, 8)

5 (3, 10)

0.22

% anti-Sm positive (n)^(*)

0.0 (0)

35.5 (11)

0.004

% anti-RNP positive (n)^(*)

27.8 (5)

32.3 (10)

1.00

% anti-Ro-positive (n)^(*)

38.9 (7)

45.2 (14)

0.77

% anti-La positive (n)^(*)

16.7 (3)

9.7 (3)

0.66

% on hydroxychloroquine (n)^(**)

42.1 (61)

44.7 (113)

0.66

% on immunosuppressants (n)^(**)

25.7 (37)

63.2 (160)

0.001

% on ≥5 mg/day corticosteroids (n)^(**)

68.1 (98)

78.3 (198)

0.31