Clinical Study

The Role of Disease Activity Score 28 in the Evaluation of Articular Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Table 1

Main demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic features of the SLE patients () enrolled in the present study.

Disease historyAt the time of enrolment

Clinical manifestations (%)
 Skin involvement59.420.3
 Oral ulcers26.12.8
 Serositis24.64.3
 Hematologic disorder40.627.5
 Kidney involvement26.14.3
 Neurologic involvement5.80
Laboratory evaluation (%)
 Anti-nuclear antibodies10094.2
 Anti-double stranded DNA73.534.8
 Anti-Sm3524.6
 Anti-SSA49.249.3
 Anti-SSB20.27.2
 Anticardiolipin IgG and/or IgM46.417.4
 Anti-β2-glycoprotein I IgG and/or IgM27.57.2
 Lupus anticoagulant27.57.2
 Low C3 and/or C4 serum levels65.252.2
Drugs (%)
 Hydroxychloroquine97.176.8
 Methotrexate34.88.7
 Azathioprine34.811.6
 Mycophenolate mofetil28.917.4
 Cyclosporin A33.310.1
 Salazopyrine1.40
 Rituximab5.90
 Cyclophosphamide10.10
 Steroid dosage (mg/week, median, range)35 (0–175)