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Volume 21, Number 8—August 2015
Research

Risk for Mycobacterial Disease among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Taiwan, 2001–2011

Tsai-Ling Liao, Ching-Heng Lin, Gwan-Han Shen1, Chia-Li Chang, Chin-Fu Lin, and Der-Yuan ChenComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (T.-L. Liao, C.-H. Lin, G.-H. Shen, C.-L. Chang, C.-F. Lin, D.-Y. Chen); National Chung Hsing University, Taichung (T.-L. Liao, G.-H. Shen, D.-Y. Chen); National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science, Taipei, Taiwan (C.-H. Lin); National Yang Ming University, Taipei (D.-Y. Chen); Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung (D.-Y. Chen)

Main Article

Table 2

Subgroup analysis for new-onset TB and NTM among 144,985 patients with and without RA, Taiwan, 2001–2011*

Variable With RA
 Without RA
 aHR
(95% CI)‡ p value
No. events No. person-years Incidence† No. events No. person-years Incidence†
New-onset TB
All patients 518 150,284.0 3.4 1626 119,2456.6 1.4 2.28 (2.06–2.54) <0.0001
Age at entry, y
18–44 54 42,192.3 1.3 130 321,916.2 0.4 2.54 (1.78–3.63) <0.0001
45–64 215 78,297.6 2.7 689 627,394.5 1.1 2.23 (1.90–2.63) <0.0001
>65 249 29,794.0 8.4 807 243,145.9 3.3 2.28 (1.96–2.65) <0.0001
Sex
  F 307 118,858.3 2.6 909 936,265.5 1.0 2.38 (2.08–2.74) <0.0001
  M 211 31,425.7 6.7 717 256,191.2 2.8 2.16 (1.84–2.54) <0.0001
Concurrent condition
  CVD 204 41,104.2 5.0 671 270,893.6 2.5 1.99 (1.69–2.34) <0.0001
DM 58 11,952.4 4.9 261 89,868.3 2.9 1.69 (1.26–2.27) 0.001
  Hyperlipidemia 59 14,371.2 4.1 137 83,859.8 1.6 2.49 (1.80–3.43) <0.0001
  Liver cirrhosis 45 14,122.1 3.2 123 72,188.4 1.7 1.89 (1.33–2.69) 0.0001
  COPD 74 11,232.7 6.6 343 77,702.4 4.4 1.40 (1.08–1.81) 0.011
Urbanization
  Urban 265 88,389.5 3.0 823 708,145.9 1.2 2.39 (2.06–2.77) <0.0001
  Suburban 80 21,371.3 3.7 257 169,798.3 1.5 2.16 (1.66–2.82) <0.0001
  Rural
 173
 40,523.2
 4.3
546
 314,512.5
 1.7
 2.20 (1.84–2.64)
 <0.0001
New-onset NTM
All patients 52 151,633.4 0.3 79 1,198,369.7 0.1 6.24 (4.24–9.17) <0.0001
Age at entry, y
18–44 6 42,367.8 0.1 12 322,534.9 0.0 3.70 (1.22–11.24) <0.05
  45–64 25 78,903.7 0.3 36 630,397.4 0.1 6.89 (3.93–12.07) <0.0001
>65 21 30,361.9 0.7 31 245,437.5 0.1 6.71 (3.67–12.28) <0.0001
Sex
F 30 119,677.3 0.3 55 939,708.1 0.1 5.80 (3.55–9.47) <0.0001
M 22 31,956.1 0.7 24 258,661.7 0.1 7.08 (3.77–13.29) <0.0001
Concurrent condition
  CVD 15 41,555.1 0.4 24 273,076.0 0.1 5.03 (2.51–10.07) <0.0001
DM 5 12,087.8 0.4 7 90,698.9 0.1 9.84 (2.79–34.75) <0.001
  Hyperlipidemia 4 14,523.6 0.3 6 84,326.4 0.1 6.16 (1.46–26.02) <0.05
  Liver cirrhosis 4 14,219.5 0.3 7 72,638.1 0.1 4.77 (1.24–18.38) <0.05
  COPD 5 11,451.8 0.4 15 78,904.5 0.2 3.02 (1.04–8.78) <0.05
Urbanization
  Urban 27 89,070.6 0.3 38 711,281.4 0.1 5.91 (3.42–10.21) <0.0001
  Suburban 11 21,556.7 0.5 10 170,651.8 0.1 13.85 (5.32–36.03) <0.0001
  Rural 14 41,006.0 0.3 31 316,436.5 0.1 4.51 (2.28–8.93) <0.0001

*aHR, HR, adjusted hazard ratio; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD, cardiovascular disease; DM, diabetes mellitus; NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria; RA, rheumatoid arthritis TB, tuberculosis.
†Rate per 1,000 person-years.
‡Adjusted for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and urbanization.

Main Article

1Deceased.

Page created: July 14, 2015
Page updated: July 14, 2015
Page reviewed: July 14, 2015
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