{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,29]],"date-time":"2026-10-29T17:04:03Z","timestamp":1793293443935,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]],"date-time":"2021-03-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616198400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]],"date-time":"2021-03-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616198400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Greek Rheumatology Society and the Professional Association of Greek Rheumatologists"},{"name":"Special Account for Research Grants (S.A.R.G.), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens","award":["12085, 12086"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["12085, 12086"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Arthritis Res Ther"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Serious infections (SI) are common in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) like granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Real-life data regarding their incidence and predisposing factors\u2014after the introduction of B cell depleting agents\u2014are limited while data quantifying the risk per treatment modality and year of the disease are missing. Here, we aim to describe in details the incidence and the risk factors for SI in a contemporary AAV cohort.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Multicenter, observational, retrospective study of AAV patients followed in three tertiary referral centers.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>We included 162 patients with GPA (63%) and MPA (37%), males 51.9%, mean age 60.9\u2009years, \u0391\u039dCA+ 86%, and generalized disease 80%. During follow-up (891.2 patient-years, mean 5.4\u2009years), 67 SI were recorded in 50 patients at an incidence rate of 7.5 per 100 patient-years. The SI incidence rate was higher during induction with cyclophosphamide (CYC) compared to rituximab (RTX, 19.3 vs. 11.3 per 100 patient-years, respectively) while it was lower and comparable between RTX and other regimens (5.52 vs. 4.54 per 100 patient-years, respectively) in the maintenance phase. By multivariate analysis, plasmapheresis (PLEX) and\/or dialysis was a strong predictor for an SI during the 1st year after diagnosis (OR\u2009=\u20093.16, 95% CI 1.001\u20139.96) and throughout the follow-up period (OR\u2009=\u20095.21, 95% CI 1.93\u201314.07). In contrast, a higher baseline BVAS (OR\u2009=\u20091.11, 95% CI 1.01\u20131.21) was associated with SI only during the 1st year.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>In this real-life study of patients with AAV, the SI incidence was higher during CYC compared to RTX induction while there was no difference between RTX and other agents used for maintenance therapy. Higher disease activity at baseline and need for PLEX and\/or dialysis were independent factors associated with an SI.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s13075-021-02452-8","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]],"date-time":"2021-03-20T05:06:48Z","timestamp":1616216808000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Serious infections in ANCA-associated vasculitides in the biologic era: real-life data from a multicenter cohort of 162 patients"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Konstantinos","family":"Thomas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evangelia","family":"Argyriou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Noemin","family":"Kapsala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandros","family":"Panagiotopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aglaia","family":"Chalkia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emilia","family":"Hadziyannis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kyriaki","family":"Boki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pelagia","family":"Katsimbri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dimitrios T.","family":"Boumpas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Panagiota","family":"Giannou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Petras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2288-3863","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Vassilopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"2452_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"542","DOI":"10.1002\/art.33361","volume":"64","author":"M Walsh","year":"2012","unstructured":"Walsh M, Flossmann O, Berden A, Westman K, Hoglund P, Stegeman C, et al. Risk factors for relapse of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Arthritis Rheum. 2012;64:542\u20138.","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheum"},{"key":"2452_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1136\/annrheumdis-2013-203927","volume":"74","author":"J Robson","year":"2015","unstructured":"Robson J, Doll H, Suppiah R, Flossmann O, Harper L, Hoglund P, et al. Damage in the ANCA-associated vasculitides: long-term data from the European vasculitis study group (EUVAS) therapeutic trials. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74:177\u201384.","journal-title":"Ann Rheum Dis"},{"key":"2452_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.1136\/ard.2010.137778","volume":"70","author":"O Flossmann","year":"2011","unstructured":"Flossmann O, Berden A, de GK HC, Harper L, Heijl C, et al. Long-term patient survival in ANCA-associated vasculitis. 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A waiver for informed consent was provided.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no competing interests.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"90"}}