Table 2. Baseline characteristics compared between the drug-free remission group and the non-remission group.
| Characteristics | Drug-free remission | Non-remission | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 11) | (n = 52) | ||
| n (%) or median (IQR) | n (%) or median (IQR) | ||
| Male gender | 7 (63.6) | 23 (44.2) | 0.242 |
| Age (years) | 49 (24–73) | 50 (30–68) | 0.640 |
| Initial OI | 0.331 | ||
| NTM disease | 8 (72.7) | 26 (50.0) | |
| Salmonella spp. | 1 (9.1) | 13 (25.0) | |
| TB | 1 (9.1) | 6 (11.5) | |
| VZV infection | 1 (9.1) | 4 (7.7) | |
| Others | 0 | 3 (5.8) | |
| Reactive skin lesion | 6 (54.5) | 31 (59.6) | 0.756 |
| Number of total OIs | |||
| One | 5 (45.5) | 16 (30.8) | 0.348 |
| More than one | 6 (54.5) | 36 (69.2) | |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| Hematocrit (%) | 31.4 (20.6–44.6) | 29.9 (13.5–43.4) | 0.388 |
| White cell count (cells/μL) | 15,490 (7,500–56,580) |
20,740 (6,130–46,360) |
0.707 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 21.0 (6.0–108.0) | 84.0 (11–123) | 0.002 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 11.1 (0.6–94.8) | 53.5 (0.55–311.3) | 0.093 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.3 (2.6–4.7) | 3.3 (1.5–4.3) | 0.842 |
| Globulin (g/dL) | 5.7 (3.5–6.7) | 5.4 (2.7–7.9) | 0.567 |
| OD of anti IFN-γ auto-Abs | 3.14 (1.57–4.38) | 3.86 (1.38–4.61) | 0.018 |
| HLA study | (n = 11) | (n = 46) | |
| HLA-DRB1-15:01 | 3 (27.3) | 12 (26.1) | 0.936 |
| HLA-DRB1-15:02 | 3 (27.3) | 19 (41.3) | 0.390 |
| HLA-DRB1-16:01 | 1 (9.1) | 2 (4.3) | 0.527 |
| HLA-DRB1-16:02 | 5 (45.5) | 30 (65.2) | 0.226 |
| HLA-DRB1-16:09 | 0 | 3 (6.5) | 0.384 |
| HLA-DQB1-05:01 | 7 (63.6) | 25 (54.3) | 0.577 |
| HLA-DQB1-05:02 | 6 (54.5) | 36 (78.3) | 0.109 |
| HLA-DQB1-05:03 | 1 (9.1) | 0 | 0.039 |
A p-value<0.05 indicates statistical significance.
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; OI, opportunistic infection; NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria; TB, tuberculosis; VZV, Varicella zoster virus; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; OD, optical density; anti-IFN-γ auto-Abs; anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies; HLA, human leukocyte antigen