Table 1.
Patient demographics, clinical, and immunologic data of autoimmune rheumatic disease patients receiving rituximab.
| Patient characteristics | Total (n = 72) |
|---|---|
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 61.5 (53.6, 70) |
| Underlying disease: | |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, n (%) | 30 (42.2) |
| ANCA-associated vasculitis, n (%) | 18 (25.4) |
| Connective tissue disease⁎, n (%) | 21 (29.6) |
| IgG4-related disease, n (%) | 3 (4.2) |
| Rituximab Schedule | |
| Every 6 months, n (%) | 61 (85.9) |
| Every 12 months, n (%) | 10 (14.2) |
| Cumulative RTX (mg), median (IQR) | 7000 (4000, 11,000) |
| Concomitant DMARD (any), n (%) | 39 (54.9) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil, n (%) | 10 (14.1) |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 12 (16.9) |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 9 (12.7) |
| Steroids (prednisone equivalent) | |
| ≥ 20 mg/day, n (%) | 2 (2.8) |
| 10-19 mg/day, n (%) | 5 (7) |
| < 10 mg/day, n (%) | 31 (43.1) |
| No steroids, n (%) | 34 (47.2) |
| B cell counts: | |
| Absolute CD19 count (#/uL), median (IQR): (n = 28) | 14.77 (8.38, 21.57) |
| Absolute CD20 count (#/uL), median (IQR): (n = 28) | 9.02 (5.19, 14.67) |
| History of hypogammaglobulinemia n, (%) (n = 41) | 20 (48.8) |
| Immunoglobulin M hypogammaglobulinemia n, (%) (n = 41) | 17 (41.5) |
| Immunoglobulin G hypogammaglobulinemia n, (%) (n = 41) | 10 (24.4) |
| Immunoglobulin M (mg/dL), median (IQR) (n = 34) | 46 (19.5, 65) |
| Immunoglobulin A, median (IQR) (n = 35) | 176 (100, 255) |
| Immunoglobulin G, median (IQR) (n = 35) | 793 (665, 1048) |
| Documented history of COVID-19 infection, n (%) | 7 (9.9) |
| Influenza vaccine in 2020–2021 (yes/no) n (%) (n = 55) | 51 (92.7) |
| Patient group according to provider preference for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: | |
| Universal recommendation for timing, n (%) | 41 (57.7) |
| Individualized approach to timing, n (%) | 30 (42.2) |
| Patient reported data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (n = 65) | |
| Refused, n (%) | 0 (0) |
| Planned, n (%) | 2 (3.1) |
| Received, n (%) | 63 (95.4) |
| Manufacturer of received vaccine (n = 63) | |
| BNT162b2 mRNA, n (%) | 31 (49.2) |
| mRNA-1273, n(%) | 26 (41.2) |
| Ad26.COV2.SCovid-19, n(%) | 6 (9.5) |
| Timing of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination post RTX (weeks), median (IQR) (n = 59) | 20.5 (13.3, 26) |
⁎
The connective tissue disease group is composed of systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory myopathies, anti-synthetase syndrome, overlap syndromes, and mixed connective tissue disease patients.