Anti-dsDNA-NcX ELISA: dsDNA-loaded nucleosomes improve diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus

Table 3 Comparison of test assay titers in patients with versus those without a distinct present clinical finding^a

		Pvalue
Disease feature	Number of patients	NcX	dsDNA	Nuc	Farr	CLIF
ACR criteria (ever), N = 207
Renal	101	0.01	0.03	0.01	ns	ns
Neurologic	23	0.01	0.03	0.01	0.04	ns
Hematological	134	ns	ns	ns	ns	0.04
mSLEDAI 2000 (current), N = 165
Casts	3	0.03	0.04	0.04	0.02	0.04
Hematuria	13	<0.001	0.001	0.003	0.002	ns
Proteinuria	16	0.04	ns	ns	ns	ns
Leukocyturia	3	0.04	0.02	ns	ns	ns
Pleuritis	5	ns	ns	ns	0.01	ns
Pericarditis	10	ns	0.02	ns	ns	ns
Complement	84	0.003	0.005	0.004	0.01	0.03
Fever	8	0.02	0.04	ns	ns	ns
Thrombocytes	5	ns	0.04	ns	ns	0.03
Laboratory (current), N = 165
Decreased lymphocytes	91	0.02	0.02	ns	0.03	ns
Decreased monocytes	27	0.02	0.02	ns	ns	ns
Decreased C-reactive protein	62	0.02	0.04	0.04	ns	ns
Decreased C3	83	0.004	0.001	0.01	0.004	ns
Decreased C4	63	ns	0.04	ns	ns	ns
Proteinuria >150 mg/d	39	0.01	ns	0.04	ns	ns

^aComparison was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. This table is reduced to statistically significant findings to increase readability. Significance with regard to any feature was always found for increased values of autoantibody assays. The number of patients with a positive finding (ACR and SLEDAI 2000) or an abnormal finding (local laboratory) of all patients is given. Current values refer to values on the date of blood withdrawal. NcX, anti-dsDNA-nucleosome-complexed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); dsDNA, dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; Nuc, anti-dsDNA-nucleosome ELISA; Farr, radioimmunoassay; CLIF, Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence assay; ACR, American College of Rheumatology; mSLEDAI 2000, modified Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 [25]; C3, complement component C3; C4, complement component C4; ns, not significant.

ISSN: 1478-6362