Treatment-related damage in elderly-onset ANCA-associated vasculitis: safety outcome analysis of two nationwide prospective cohort studies

Table 1 Patient characteristics by initial GC dose group

	Low-dose (n = 59)	Medium-dose (n = 52)	High-dose (n = 68)
Male/female	27/32	18/34	23/45
Age (years), mean ± SD (median)^†	80.9 ± 3.9 (80)	79.9 ± 3.6 (80)	79.1 ± 3.6 (78)
Disease classification, n
EGPA	2	2	3
GPA	5	9	14
MPA	42	33	38
Unclassifiable	10	8	13
Disease severity, n (%)
Localized	1	3	3
Early systemic	12	14	18
Systemic	34	27	35
Severe	12	8	12
BVAS, mean ± SD	15.8 ± 6.3	17.3 ± 6.0	15.4 ± 7.2
MPO-ANCA–positive, n (%)	55 (93)	49 (94)	64 (94)
PR3-ANCA–positive, n (%)	0	2 (4)	3 (4)
Serum creatinine (mg/dL), mean ± SD^†	3.11 ± 3.56	2.36 ± 2.15	1.59 ± 1.31
Interstitial lung disease, n (%)	29 (49)	24 (46)	29 (43)
Treatment
Initial daily dose of PSL (mg/kg/day), mean ± SD^{#, †}	0.47 ± 0.10	0.69 ± 0.05	0.98 ± 0.18
Cyclophosphamide, n (%)	8 (13)	10 (19)	36 (53)

Comparisons among groups were made using the Mann–Whitney U test or Fisher’s exact probability test. Statistical significance was determined by using Bonferroni correction (< 0.05/3). ANCA antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, BVAS Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, EGPA eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, GPA granulomatosis with polyangiitis, MPA microscopic polyangiitis, MPO myeloperoxidase, PR3 proteinase 3, PSL prednisolone, SD standard deviation
^#Medium-dose vs. high-dose group
^†Low-dose vs. high-dose group

ISSN: 1478-6362