## 2 Materials and Methods
### Abdominal Ultrasound Parameters  
Table 2 refers to the complete list of ultrasound parameters assessed. Examinations were performed by either of two rheumatologists, both are board certified in conducting abdominal ultrasound. Examinations were performed on a Esaote MyLab Twice machine with a 1-6 MHz convex probe.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **All** & **SLE** & **SS** & & & **SSc** & & & **Myositis** & **UCTD** & **MCTD** \\ \hline  & & & **Prim.** & **Sec.** & **Diffuse** & **Lim.** & **with** & **Myos.** & **PM** & **DM** & **Anti-** & **Synthetalse** & & \\ \hline Women (\%) & 87.6 & 88.7 & 93.7 & 93.4 & 80.8 & 92.8 & 64.7 & 45.8 & 72.7 & 87.5 & 81.8 & 82.8 \\ \hline Men (\%) & 12.5 & 11.3 & 6.4 & 6.6 & 19.2 & 7.2 & 35.3 & 54.2 & 27.3 & 12.5 & 18.2 & 17.2 \\ \hline Disease duration in years & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline mean & 6.5 & 9.8 & 5.0 & 11.9 & 3.7 & 4.1 & 1.6 & 4.1 & 4.5 & 6.4 & 2.2 & 5.4 \\ \hline min. & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 & 0.0 \\ \hline max. & 52.8 & 46.3 & 52.8 & 52.6 & 33.2 & 36.8 & 10.0 & 17.0 & 31.2 & 25.7 & 19.9 & 33.3 \\ \hline SD & 9.2 & 9.9 & 8.0 & 12.5 & 5.3 & 6.7 & 3.1 & 5.5 & 8.1 & 8.5 & 4.8 & 7.3 \\ \hline Age in years & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline mean & 55.2 & 45.2 & 58.4 & 61.8 & 60.4 & 60.3 & 53.5 & 59.1 & 55.3 & 55.3 & 54.4 & 43.7 \\ \hline min. & 17 & 18 & 18 & 22 & 32 & 28 & 17 & 22 & 20 & 23 & 19 & 20 \\ \hline max. & 90 & 79 & 86 & 87 & 84 & 90 & 79 & 82 & 84 & 73 & 83 & 79 \\ \hline SD & 15.8 & 16.2 & 15.2 & 12.4 & 12.1 & 12.7 & 17.6 & 14.6 & 17.2 & 12.8 & 14.6 & 15.1 \\ \hline BMI [kg/m] & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline mean & 25.8 & 25.1 & 26.2 & 26.3 & 25.4 & 26.4 & 24.3 & 24.7 & 24.8 & 26.0 & 26.4 & 25.1 \\ \hline min. & 14.4 & 16.1 & 15.6 & 17.1 & 15.0 & 17.9 & 15.3 & 14.9 & 14.4 & 18.6 & 14.7 & 16.8 \\ \hline max. & 54.1 & 44.6 & 49.2 & 41.8 & 40.1 & 39.8 & 34.7 & 36.2 & 34.1 & 40.2 & 48.3 & 54.1 \\ \hline SD & 5.4 & 4.9 & 6.0 & 5.2 & 5.2 & 5.4 & 5.9 & 5.4 & 4.6 & 5.2 & 5.6 & 5.6 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: _Cont._  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **All** & **SLE** & **SS** & & **SSc** & & & **Myositis** & **UCTD** & **MCTD** \\ \hline  & & & **Prim.** & **Sec.** & **Diffuse** & **Lim.** & **with** & **Myos.** & **PM** & **DM** & **Anti-** & **Synthetalse** & \\ \hline Number of patients & 1092 & 194 & 252 & 167 & 78 & 125 & 17 & 24 & 33 & 16 & 99 & 87 \\ \hline Number of females & 956 & 172 & 236 & 156 & 63 & 116 & 11 & 11 & 24 & 14 & 81 & 72 \\ \hline  & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline
**Liver** & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline Hepatomegaly & 8.1 & 9.8 & 9.1 & 5.4 & 12.8 & 5.6 & 11.8 & 12.5 & - & 6.3 & 4.0 & 11.5 \\ \hline Fatty liver & 26.8 & 23.7 & 23.8 & 36.5 & 32.1 & 24.8 & 29.4 & 41.7 & 24.2 & 31.3 & 26.3 & 18.4 \\ \hline Cirrhosis & 0.5 & - & 0.4 & 0.6 & - & 3.2 & - & - & - & - & - & - \\ \hline Focal nodular hyperplasia & 0.2 & 0.5 & - & 0.6 & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - \\ \hline Haemangioma & 2.6 & 2.1 & 3.6 & 1.2 & 1.3 & 1.6 & 5.9 & 4.2 & - & - & 4.0 & 4.6 \\ \hline Abscess & 0.1 & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & - & 1.0 & - \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 2: Prevalence of abdominal ultrasound findings in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.  
escalation of therapy as increase of glucocorticoidoid and/or DMARD doses. Escalation was also assumed when DMARDs were switched with the intention of reducing disease activity (as described in the discharge letter). De-escalation was defined as reduced glucocorticoidoid and/or DMARD doses and/or DMARD switches intended to reduce the level of immunosuppression.  
We also noted when therapy was changed (or remained unchanged) upon factors other than the activity of a patient's SARD. Such factors included active infections, planned surgery and pregnancies. In patients with secondary SS, we noted if changes in therapy were targeting concomitant rheumatic diseases (see Table 1).