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Table 3 Comparison between patients with inactive versus patients with active lupus disease regarding clinical, serological, and brain MRS measurements in the posterior cingulate gyrus

From: Neuropsychiatric manifestations and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the brain in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Characteristic

SLEDAI score

Test of significance

p

Group 1 (low disease activity) (n = 20)

Group 2 (moderate to very high disease activity) (n = 30)

Demographic and clinical characteristics

 Age (years), M ± SD

26.15 ± 8.86

27.53 ± 9.12

t = −0.531

0.372

 Residence, n (%)

  Urban

9 (45)

17 (57)

χ2 = 0.654

0.419

  Rural

11 (55)

13 (57)

 SLEDAI score

1.90 ± 0.72

16.0 ± 2.28

 

< 0.001*

 Neuropsychiatric manifestations, n (%)

  Headache

7 (35)

13 (43.3)

χ2 = 0.437

0.56

  Psychosis

6 (30)

6 (20)

χ2 = 0.658

0.42

  Seizures

3 (15)

3 (10)

χ2 = 284

0.67

  Polyneuropathy

4 (20)

2 (6.7)

χ2 = 2.02

0.2

  Acute confusional state

0 (0)

6 (12)

χ2 = 4.545

0.03*

  Cerebrovascular accidents

0 (0)

2 (6.7)

χ2 = 1.389

0.24

 Psychiatric scores

 HAM-D, n (%)

  Negative

11 (55)

18 (60)

χ2 =2.524

0.28

  Mild

8 (40)

7 (23.3)

  Moderate

1 (5)

5 (16.7)

 HARS, n (%)

  Negative

9 (45)

17 (56.6)

χ2 = 1.427

0.49

  Mild to moderate

7 (35)

5 (16.7)

  Moderate to severe

4 (20)

8 (26.7)

 MMSE, M ± SD

29.35 ± 0.88

28.73 ± 1.59

t = 1.574

0.12

  W. logical memory, M ± SD

15.65 ± 4

13.70 ± 5.91

t = 1.290

0.20

  W. digits forward, M ± SD

4.55 ± 1.82

4.93 ± 1.41

t = −0.837

0.41

  W. digits backward, M ± SD

2.60 ± 1.05

2.83 ± 1.42

t = −0.630

0.67

 Total Wechsler Memory Scale, M ± SD

22.80 ± 5.11

21.47 ± 7.26

t = 0.831

0.48

 Cognition as whole, M ± SD

52.15 ± 5.38

50.20 ± 8.09

t = 0.521

0.35

Anti-ribosomal P protein antibody (units/ml), median (min–max)

8.5 (2.5–46.3)

17.55 (2.70–88.7)

MWT = −1.891

0.026*

 MRS measurements in the posterior cingulate gyrus, M ± SD

  NAA/Cr

1.71 ± 0.2

1.55 ± 0.24

t = 2.531

0.015*

  Cho/Cr

0.91 ± 0.19

1.02 ± 0.18

t = −2.022

0.049*

  mI/Cr

0.54 ± 0.1

0.53 ± 0.1

t = 0.632

0.53

  1. MWT Mann–Whitney test. Cho choline compound, Cr creatine and phosphocreatine, HAM-D Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HARS Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, mI myo-inositol, MMSE Mini-Mental State Exam, NAA N-acetylaspartate, SLEDAI systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index
  2. *p ≤ 0.05, χ2 chi-square, t independent sample t-test