Journal
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM-ARTHRITIS CARE & RESEARCH
Volume 51, Issue 1, Pages 83-91Publisher
WILEY-LISS
DOI: 10.1002/art.20082
Keywords
Wegener's granulomatosis; survival analysis; prognostic factors
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective. To determine predictors of survival of patients with systemic Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). Methods. We retrospectively studied 93 patients (median age 52 years, male/female ratio 1.7) with systemic WG. All subjects received cytotoxic drugs. Survival was evaluated as a function of the main clinical and laboratory parameters and 2 disease activity scores assessed at diagnosis. Statistical analyses used the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results. The mean followup was 4.5 years; 25 (27%) patients died. According to univariate analysis, a pejorative prognostic value was attributed to serum creatinine >160 mumole/liter (P < 0.001); age >52 years (P < 0.002); absence of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) involvement (P < 0.001); and hemoglobin less than or equal to11.8 gm/dl (P = 0.02). Multivariate analysis retained age >52 years (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.40, P = 0.04) as an independent predictor of poor outcome, whereas the presence of ENT involvement was associated with a longer survival (HR = 0.31, P = 0.02). Conclusion. Our results suggest that an older age and the absence of ENT involvement at diagnosis independently predict an increased risk of mortality for WG patients. These findings could indicate that the prognosis of WG might be governed by the balance between the granulomatosis as opposed to the vasculitic disease process.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available