Table 3.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with severe infectious complications
| Variable | Severe Infection | No Severe Infection | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis | 58±11 | 53±15 | 0.06 |
| Men (%) | 56 | 48 | 0.47 |
| White (%) | 91 | 90 | 0.84 |
| Diabetes (%) | 6 | 7 | 0.87 |
| Anti–PR3-ANCA (%) | 56 | 70 | 0.21 |
| BVAS at diagnosis | 7.8±4.3 | 7.7±3.1 | 0.90 |
| eGFR at diagnosis | 29±29 | 58±43 | 0.001 |
| Dialysis at start (%) | 42 | 18 | 0.02 |
| Dialysis at end of follow-up (%) | 18 | 7 | 0.10 |
| Pulmonary hemorrhage (%) | 22 | 20 | 0.80 |
| Corticosteroids | |||
| Pulse methylprednisolone (%) | 67 | 55 | 0.28 |
| Initial dose of prednisone (mg/kg) | 1.0±0.7 | 0.9±0.3 | 0.25 |
| Duration (mo) | 23 (12–50) | 13 (8–29) | 0.04 |
| Plasmapheresis (%) | 23 | 25 | 0.80 |
| Other immunosuppressant | |||
| Induction | |||
| CYC/MTX (%) | 91/3 | 84/9 | 0.53 |
| Initial dose CYC (mg/kg) | 1.4±0.5 | 1.7±0.4 | 0.06 |
| Maintenance | |||
| CYC/MTX/AZA (%) | 42/12/31 | 39/15/39 | 0.79 |
| Total duration (mo) | 24 (15–59) | 15 (9–29) | 0.09 |
| Neutropenia (%) | 24 | 15 | 0.28 |
| Lymphopenia (%) | |||
| Absent | 3 | 41 | <0.001 |
| Moderate, but never severe | 22 | 45 | |
| Severe | 75 | 14 |
Unless otherwise noted, values are expressed as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range). BVAS, Birmingham vasculitis activity score; eGFR, estimated GFR; CYC, cyclophosphamide; MTX, methotrexate; AZA, azathioprine.