Clinical and demographic characteristics of RA patients prior to pneumococcal vaccination
| MTX group (n=62) | TCZ+MTX group (n=54) | TCZ group (n=50) | RA control (n=24) | p Values between treatment groups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female | 11/51 | 4/50 | 7/43 | 5/19 | NS |
| Age, mean (95% CI) (years) | 68.3 (66.6 to 70.1) | 65.1 (63.1 to 67.0) | 68.3 (65.8 to 70.8) | 69.2 (65.3 to 73.1) | NS |
| RA duration, mean (95% CI) (years) | 10.0 (7.8 to 12.1) | 9.1 (7.3 to 10.8) | 12.5 (9.6 to 15.3) | 11.3 (6.0 to 16.6) | NS |
| MTX dose, median (IQR) (mg/week) | 8 (6 to 8) | 8 (6 to 8) | – | – | NS |
| MTX duration, median (IQR) (months) | 48 (14.3 to 86.3) | 48.5 (26 to 81) | – | – | NS |
| TCZ duration, median (IQR) (weeks) | – | 56 (16 to 95) | 58 (15 to 98) | – | NS |
| Use of prednisolone, number of patients (%) | 17 (27.4) | 14 (25.9) | 12 (24) | 1 (4.2) | 0.018 (M vs C) |
| 0.029 (T/M vs C) | |||||
| 0.049 (T vs C) | |||||
| Prednisolone dose, median (IQR) (mg/day) | 0 (0 to 2) | 0 (0 to 1) | 0 (0 to 1) | 0 (0 to 1) | NS |
| Positive RF, number of patients (%) | 35 (56.5) | 39 (72.2) | 31 (62) | 8 (33.3) | 0.001 (T/M vs C) |
| 0.021 (T vs C) | |||||
| Positive anti-CCP Abs, number of patients (%) | 44 (71.0) | 46 (85.2) | 41 (82) | 11 (45.8) | 0.029 (M vs C) |
| 0.0003 (T/M vs C) | |||||
| 0.001 (T vs C) | |||||
| Lymphocytes, mean (95% CI) (/μl) | 1374 (1230 to 1517) | 1651 (1420 to 1881) | 1717 (1545 to 1890) | 1600 (1358 to 1842) | NS |
| Serum IgG, mean (95% CI) (mg/dl) | 1286 (1194 to 1377) | 1172 (1075 to 1269) | 1196 (1121 to 1271) | 1394 (1258 to 1530) | NS |
Data were obtained immediately before pneumococcal vaccination. p Values between treatment groups were determined using the Mann–Whitney U test, ANOVA (analysis of variance) with a Tukey's HSD (honesty significant difference) post hoc test, the Kruskal–Wallis test with a Scheffe post hoc test, the χ² test or Fisher's exact probability test.
anti-CCP Abs, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; M, MTX group; MTX, methotrexate; NS, not significant; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor; T, TCZ group; T/M, TCZ+MTX group; C, RA control; TCZ, tocilizumab.