Table 2 Patients’ characteristics by rituximab indication
|  | RA n = 105 | CTD n = 60 | Vasculitis n = 20 | Other n = 18 | Comparison between groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age at time of first RTX, years, mean (SD) | 57.8 (13.9) | 48.0 (14.3) | 57.4 (14.1) | 56.2 (13.7) | p = 0.0003 |
Female, n (%) | 82 (78.1) | 55 (91.7) | 10 (50.0) | 11 (61.1) | p < 0.0001 |
Time between diagnosis and first RTX, years, median [range] | 7.3 [0.3, 46.5] | 5.0 [0.1, 38.7] | 0.4 [0.02, 10.8] | 2.4 [0.4, 31.1] | p = 0.0001 |
Previous treatments, n (%) | |||||
 Glucocorticoids | 87/91 (95.6) | 51/59 (86.4) | 19 (95.0) | 14 (77.8) | p = 0.045 |
 csDMARD (any) | 103 (98.1) | 55 (91.7) | 6 (30.0) | 14 (77.8) | p < 0.0001 |
 Cyclophosphamide | 0 | 4 (6.7) | 11 (55.0) | 2 (11.1) | p < 0.0001 |
 Anti-TNF agent | 88/103 (85.4) | 18 (30.0) | 0 | 6 (33.3) | p < 0.0001 |
 Other biological agents | 30 (28.6) | 6 (10.0) | 0 | 5 (27.8) | p = 0.003 |
Initial RTX regimen |  |  |  |  | p < 0.0001 |
 1000 mg/15 days (× 2) | 102 (97.1) | 50 (83.3) | 8 (40.0) | 14 (77.8) |  |
 375 mg/m2/week (× 4) | 0 | 5 (8.3) | 11 (55.0) | 4 (22.2) |  |
 other | 3 (2.9) | 5 (8.3) | 1 (5.0) | 0 |  |
Concomitant treatments, n (%) | |||||
 Glucocorticoids | 56/94 (59.6) | 41/55 (74.6) | 19 (95.0) | 7/16 (43.8) | p = 0.002 |
 csDMARD (any) | 71 (67.6) | 39 (65.0) | 3 (15.0) | 6 (33.3) | p < 0.0001 |
 Methotrexate | 46/98 (46.9) | 14/59 (23.7) | 1 (5.0) | 2/16 (12.5) | p < 0.0001 |
 None | 12 (11.4) | 5 (8.3) | 1 (5.0) | 6 (33.3) | p = 0.02 |
IgG levels before RTX initiation, g/l, mean (SD) | 11.3 (3.9) n = 94 | 13.7 (7.8) n = 52 | 9.6 (4.4) n = 17 | 9.6 (2.7) n = 14 | p = 0.05 |
Hypogammaglobulinaemia before RTX initiation, n (%) |  |  |  |  | p = 0.002 |
 None | 84/94 (89.4) | 44/52 (84.6) | 12/17 (70.6) | 12/14 (85.7) |  |
 Mild (5–6.9 g/l) | 10/94 (10.6) | 7/52 (13.5) | 2/17 (11.8) | 2/14 (14.3) |  |
 Moderate to severe (< 5 g/l) | 0 | 1/52 (1.9) | 3/17 (17.7) | 0 |  |