Journal
RHEUMATOLOGY
Volume 54, Issue 1, Pages 152-156Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keu255
Keywords
axial spondyloarthritis; ankylosing spondylitis; infection; biologic
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Funding
- Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society fellowship
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Methods. Data were extracted from a longitudinal observational cohort of patients with axSpA. Infection rates were calculated and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the association of independent variables with infection. Results. Data were analysed for 440 patients followed for a total of 1712 patient-years (pys). A total of 259 infections, of which 23 were serious, were recorded in 185 patients. The overall rate of any infection was 15 (95% CI 13, 17)/100 pys and the serious infection rate was 1.3 (95% CI 0.9, 2.0)/100 pys. There was no significant difference in the rate of any infection or serious infection in patients on TNFis compared with patients never on biologic agents. In the multivariate analysis, DMARD treatment, but not TNFi treatment, was associated with risk of infection. Age, disease duration, smoking status, BASFI, BASDAI, co-morbidity score and hospitalization were not associated with an increased risk of infection. Conclusion. The serious infection rate in axSpA in this observational cohort is low when compared with rates reported in other rheumatic diseases. Biologic use was not a significant risk factor for serious infection.
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