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The following is a summary of “Incidence and risk of infections in patients with ankylosing spondylitis receiving biologic therapies: A prospective observational study using the KOBIO registry,” published in the January 2025 issue of Rheumatology by Ko and Moon.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate infection rates and risk factors in patients with biologics treated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
They conducted a prospective study of patients with AS from the KOBIO registry who started or switched biologics between December 2012 and July 2023. The primary outcome was the first infection, classified by organ system, with rates per 1,000 person-years (PY) calculated using Poisson distribution. Adjusted Cox models estimated hazard ratios for infection risk.
The results showed 2,129 patients with 7,107.67 PY follow-up. Infection rates were 25.89/1,000 PY for respiratory tract and 6.13/1,000 PY for herpes zoster (HZ). Significant risk factors included age, ischemic heart disease, complicated diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and peripheral arthritis, while the male sex was protected.
Investigators observed an infection rate of 39 events/1,000 PY, with respiratory tract infections and HZ being most common. Risk factors included age, female sex, ischemic heart disease, complicated diabetes, CKD, and peripheral arthritis.
Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2025/01/09/jrheum.2024-0443
