Table 4.
Decisive factors of patients receiving TNF-I therapy for different outcomes
| Death (N=14) | Survivors (N=21) | p-Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 66.93±5.59 | 64.10±11.96 | 0.416 | |
| Gender (female) | 10 (71%) | 16(76%) | 1.000 | |
| Smoker | 2/5(40%) | 6/10(60%) | 0.608 | |
| Combination | INF + MTX | 7(50%) | 17(81%) | 0.073 |
| INF + AZA | 6(43%) | 1(5%) | 0.010 | |
| History of RA | 15.15±12.83 | 14.13±10.30 | 0.796 | |
| Median onset delay | 3 wks | 8 wks | – | |
| Pre-existing lung disease | 11/13 (79%) | 6/14(47%) | 0.046 | |
| Joint symptom Remission | 6/8 (75%) | 13/14 (93%) | 0.527 | |
| Causes of death | Pulmonary deteriorate: 8 MSOF:1 | – | – | |
| Use of antibiotics | 10(71%) | 6(29%) | 0.018 | |
| Without use of prednisolone | 2 | NA | – | |
Abbreviations: INF, infliximab; AZA, azathioprine; MTX, methotrexate; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; NA, unknown; MSOF, multiple systems organ failure; TNF-I, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor.