Table 1.
Demographic, disease and treatment characteristics of 201 patients at inclusion and comparison between groups according to baseline pneumococcal serology
| Characteristics | All (N = 201) | Vaccination groupa (n = 60) | Observation groupb (n = 141) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age (IQR), yr | 53.9 (43.3–65.7) | 58.6 (37.0–71.9) | 53.1 (42.6–61.9) | NS |
| Male/female, n | 84/117 | 22/38 | 62/79 | NS |
| Disease type | ||||
| Psoriasis, n (%) | 52 (26) | 8 (13) | 44 (31) | 0.03 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, n (%) | 41 (20) | 13 (22) | 28 (20) | NS |
| Spondylarthropathies, n (%) | 15 (7) | 4 (7) | 11 (8) | NS |
| Connective tissue diseases, n (%) | 31 (15)c | 11 (18) | 20 (14) | NS |
| Systemic vasculitis, n (%) | 24 (12)d | 12 (20) | 12 (9) | 0.03 |
| Miscellaneous inflammatory conditions, n (%) | 38 (19)e | 12 (20) | 26 (18) | NS |
| Disease activity according to PGA | 0.019 | |||
| Inactive, n (%) | 28 (14) | 2 (3) | 26 (18) | |
| Moderately active, n (%) | 120 (60) | 44 (73) | 76 (54) | |
| Active, n (%) | 44 (22) | 12 (20) | 32 (23) | |
| Very active, n (%) | 9 (5) | 2 (3) | 7 (5) | |
| Treatment | ||||
| Systemic corticosteroids, n (%) | 91 (45) | 41 (68) | 50 (36) | <0.001 |
| Daily prednisone dose, median (IQR), mg | 10 (5–30) | 10 (5–30) | 10 (7.5–27.5) | NS |
| Prednisone ≥20 mg/day, n (%) | 35 (17) | 16 (27) | 19 (14) | 0.02 |
| Immunosuppressant, n (%) | 181 (90)f | 50 (83) | 131 (93) | NS |
| Other DMARDs, n (%) | 25 (12)g | 10 (17) | 15 (11) | NS |
| Previous rituximab treatment, n (%) | 17 (9) | 5 (8) | 12 (9) | NS |
| Treatment duration, median (IQR), yr | 2 (0–6) | 2 (0–6) | 2 (0–6) | NS |
| Total serum IgG, median (IQR), g/L | 10.8 (8.6–13.2) | 9.0 (7.5–12.1) | 11.2 (9–13.4) | 0.003 |
| Total serum IgA, median (IQR), g/L | 2.1 (1.6–3.1) | 2.1 (1.3–3.0) | 2.3 (1.6–3.2) | NS |
| Total serum IgM, median (IQR), g/L | 0.9 (0.7–1.4) | 0.8 (0.6–1.2) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | NS |
Abbreviations: DMARD disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, Ig immunoglobulin, IQR interquartile range, NS not significant, PGA Physician Global Assessment. p-Values were obtained by χ 2 and Mann–Whitney U tests
aIgG ≥0.5 μg/ml for fewer than four of six serotypes
bIgG ≥0.5 μg/ml for four or more of six serotypes
cSystemic lupus erythematosus (n = 13), dermatomyositis (n = 5), mixed connective tissue disease (n = 4), polymyositis (n = 3), anti-synthetase syndrome (n = 3), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (n = 2), systemic sclerosis (n = 1)
dGiant cell arteritis (n = 7), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (n = 6), primary angiitis of the central nervous system (n = 5), microscopic polyangiitis (n = 4), Takayasu arteritis (n = 1), polyarteritis nodosa (n = 1)
ePemphigus vulgaris (n = 7), adult-onset Still disease (n = 6), bullous pemphigoid (n = 5), Behçet disease (n = 4), orbital pseudotumor (n = 3), unspecified inflammatory disorders (n = 3), autoinflammatory disorders (n = 2), cicatricial pemphigoid (n = 2), uveitis (n = 2), retroperitoneal fibrosis (n = 2), polymyalgia rheumatica (n = 1), aortitis (n = 1)
fMethotrexate (n = 60), adalimumab (n = 24), infliximab (n = 24), azathioprine (n = 23), mycophenolate mofetil (n = 22), mycophenolic acid (n = 3), tocilizumab (n = 19), leflunomide (n = 11), etanercept (n = 7), ustekinumab (n = 7), golimumab (n = 4), cyclophosphamide (n = 2), anakinra (n = 2), abatacept (n = 2), rituximab in the preceding 6 months (n = 2), chlorambucil (n = 1), ciclosporin A (n = 1), tacrolimus (n = 1), certolizumab (n = 1). More than one immunosuppressive agent was used in 37 patients (18 %)
gHydroxychloroquine (n = 16), sulfasalazine (n = 7), colchicine (n = 2), dapsone (n = 2). More than one non-immunosuppressive DMARD was used in two patients