Clinical characteristics of and risk factors for serious infection in Japanese patients within six months of remission induction therapy for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis registered in a nationwide, prospective, inception cohort study.

AbstractObjectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and predictors of serious infections (SIs) in the RemIT-JAV, a nationwide, prospective, inception cohort study for Japanese patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).Methods: We analyzed SIs within six months of remission induction therapy in 156 AAV patients. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SIs were calculated using the COX proportional hazard model.Results: Sixty-three SIs in 42 patients were identified. The incidence rate (IR) of SIs was 87.59/100 patient-years. The median length of time to the onset of first SIs was 54 days. Hazard ratios (95%CI) for SIs were 1.97 (0.99–3.95) for age >65 years, 0.47 (0.25–0.89) for female sex, 2.11 (1.05–4.27) for the severe form of AAV, and 2.88 (1.49–5.88) for initial PSL >0.8 mg/kg/day in the first model, and 2.64 (1.39–5.01) for smoking and 3.27 (1.66–6.45) for initial PSL >0.8 mg/kg/day in the second model.Conclusion...