Summary of findings 6. Azathioprine versus cyclophosphamide for maintenance therapy.
| Azathioprine (AZA) versus cyclophosphamide (CPA) for maintenance therapy | |||||
| Patient or population: adults with renal vasculitis for maintenance therapy Settings: inpatients then outpatients Intervention: AZA Comparison: CPA | |||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No. of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | ||||
| CPA | AZA | ||||
| Death (median follow‐up time 8.5 years) | 164 per 1000 |
127 per 1000 (58 to 283) |
RR 0.77 (0.35 to 1.72) |
144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| Kidney function | not reported | not reported | ‐‐ | ‐‐ | ‐‐ |
| Dialysis (median follow‐up time 8.5 years) | 110 per 1000 | 181 per 1000 |
RR 1.65 (0.57 to 4.79) |
144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| Relapse at 18 months | 137 per 1000 | 155 per 1000 (70 to 342) | RR 1.13 (0.51 to 2.50) | 144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| Relapse (median follow‐up time 8.5 years) | 356 per 1000 | 520 per 1000 (356 to 762) | RR 1.46 (1.00 to 2.14) | 144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| Serious adverse events | 96 per 1000 |
113 per 1000 (43 to 294) |
RR 1.18 (0.45 to 3.07) |
144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| Infections | 178 per 1000 | 183 per 1000 (91 to 367) | RR 1.03 (0.51 to 2.06) | 144 (1) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 |
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio; | |||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | |||||
1 Single study results 2 Wide CI