Table 1 Baseline characteristics of 344 patients with systemic autoimmune diseases treated with biological agents
n= 344 | |
|---|---|
Females | 270 (78%) |
Mean age (years) | 42.74 ± 0.83 |
Mean time of follow up (months) | 26.76 ± 1.14 (0.5-105) |
Autoimmune diseases | |
- Systemic lupus erythematosus | 140 (41%) |
- Systemic vasculitis | 50 (14%) |
- Inflammatory myopathies | 38 (11%) |
- Behçet disease | 31 (9%) |
- Sjögren syndrome | 23 (7%) |
- Other diseases* | 62 (18%) |
Previous therapies (ever exposed) | |
- Oral corticosteroids | 332 (97%) |
- Methylprednisolone pulses | 86 (25%) |
- Immunosuppressants | 282 (82%) |
- Intravenous immunoglobulins | 89 (26%) |
- Plasma exchange | 10 (3%) |
- Other therapies | 109 (32%) |
Cumulated dose/length of previous therapies | |
- Mean length of prednisone therapy (years) | 8.04 ± 0.65 |
- Cumulated dose of cyclophosphamide (gr) | 7.18 ± 1.11 |
- Mean length of mycophenolate (years) | 2.20 ± 0.39 |
- Mean length of azathioprine (years) | 1.44 ± 0.35 |
- Number of previous immunosuppressants | |
> = 3 | 73 (21%) |
> = 4 | 25 (7%) |
Biological agent | |
- Rituximab | 264 (77%) |
- Infliximab | 37 (11%) |
- Etanercept | 21 (6%) |
- Adalimumab | 19 (5%) |
- Other | 3 (1%) |
Therapies administered concomitantly | |
- Oral corticosteroids | 312 (91%) |
- Immunosuppressants | 193 (56%) |
- Intravenous immunoglobulins | 14 (4%) |
- Plasma exchange | 11 (3%) |
Time of exposure to biological (person-years) | |
- Total time | 495 |
- Exposure to rituximab | 328 |
- Exposure to infliximab | 52 |
- Exposure to etanercept | 66 |
- Exposure to adalimumab | 30 |
Retreatment | 55 (16%) |
Switch | 33 (10%) |