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. 2024 May 30;83(11):e225869. doi: 10.1136/ard-2024-225869

Table 5. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors associated with flare, using either ‘I-RMD flare‘ or ‘new antirheumatic medication or dosage increase due to flare’ as the dependent variable.

Covariates Outcome: flare Outcome: new medication or dosage increase due to flare
OR (95% CI) P value OR (95% CI) P value
Age, per decade of life 0.90 (0.83 to 0.98) 0.015 0.92 (0.81 to 1.04) 0.18
Female sex 1.40 (1.05 to 1.87) 0.021 1.24 (0.82 to 1.88) 0.31
Diagnostic group
 Inflammatory joint diseases Reference Reference
 Connective tissue diseases 0.68 (0.43 to 1.08) 0.10 0.84 (0.45 to 1.57) 0.59
 Vasculitis 0.96 (0.57 to 1.62) 0.88 0.93 (0.47 to 1.85) 0.84
 Other I-RMD 1.34 (0.56 to 3.21) 0.51 1.09 (0.32 to 3.70) 0.89
Disease activity
 Remission Reference Reference
 Low disease activity 1.45 (1.08 to 1.94) 0.013 1.47 (0.94 to 2.29) 0.093
 Moderate/high disease activity 1.37 (0.97 to 1.95) 0.075 3.08 (1.91 to 4.97) <0.001
Vaccine
 Pfizer Reference Reference
 Moderna 0.87 (0.56 to 1.34) 0.52 1.37 (0.77 to 2.45) 0.29
 AstraZeneca 1.13 (0.83 to 1.56) 0.44 1.41 (0.90 to 2.22) 0.13
 Other 0.10 (0.01 to 0.74) 0.023 0 1
Antirheumatic medication
 None Reference Reference
 Immunosuppressants 0.32 (0.07 to 1.35) 0.12 0 1
 Methotrexate 0.57 (0.37 to 0.90) 0.014 0.48 (0.26 to 0.89) 0.019
 Leflunomide 1.24 (0.60 to 2.57) 0.57 0.76 (0.25 to 2.25) 0.62
 Sulfasalazine 0.85 (0.35 to 2.07) 0.71 0.75 (0.22 to 2.62) 0.65
 Antimalarials 0.78 (0.43 to 1.40) 0.41 0.47 (0.19 to 1.18) 0.11
 TNFi 0.55 (0.36 to 0.85) 0.007 0.60 (0.33 to 1.09) 0.096
 tsDMARDs 0.56 (0.28 to 1.13) 0.11 0.39 (0.13 to 1.18) 0.094
 Rituximab 0.27 (0.11 to 0.66) 0.004 0.10 (0.01 to 0.77) 0.027
 Other bDMARDs 0.62 (0.38 to 1.01) 0.055 0.57 (0.28 to 1.14) 0.11
Glucocorticoids 0.69 (0.46 to 1.04) 0.076 0.96 (0.56 to 1.65) 0.89
Cessation/reduction of antirheumatic medications at the time of vaccination 4.76 (3.44 to 6.58) <0.001 2.24 (1.33 to 3.78) 0.002

For ‘Outcome: flare’, the total N was 7336 (272 flares); for ‘Outcome: new medication or dosage increase due to flare’, some outcome data were missing, and the total N was 5287 (121 flares). Missing values for vaccine type and disease activity were derived by multiple imputation using full conditional specification.

bDMARDsbiological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugsI-RMDinflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseaseTNFitumour necrosis factor inhibitorstsDMARDstargeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs