Abstract
BackgroundNontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection in immunocompromized patients is currently a growing health concern, and we aimed to examine the relative risk of NTM infection in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) compared with that in non-SS individuals.MethodsWe used the 2003–2012 Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 6554 incident SS cases during 2007–2012 and selected 98,310 non-SS controls matched (1:15) for age, gender, and the year of first SS diagnosis date after excluding those who had rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus.ResultsWe identified four NTM-infected patients in the SS group (three in the first year) and nine in the non-SS group (three in the first year). SS patients had a higher incidence rate of NTM infection than that in non-SS individuals (IRR, 7.56; 95% CI, 2.33–24.55), especially during the first year (IRR, 16.05; 95% CI, 3.24–79.51). After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of NTM infection was not increased in SS patients during the entire follow-up period or during the first year, but the risk increased in SS patients treated with immunosuppressants during the entire follow-up period (HR, 17.77; 95% CI, 4.53–69.61), especially during the first year (HR, 33.33; 95% CI, 4.37–254.23).ConclusionAn increased risk of NTM infection was found in SS patients treated with immunosuppressants during the first year after SS diagnosis.
Highlights
Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection in immunocompromized patients is currently a growing health concern, and we aimed to examine the relative risk of NTM infection in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) compared with that in non-SS individuals
We found that SS patients had a higher Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) (0.5 ± 0.9 vs. 0.4 ± 1.0, P < 0.001) and were more likely to receive corticosteroids (69.6% vs. 39.0%, P < 0.001), cyclophosphamide (3.2% vs. 0.4%, P < 0.001), methotrexate (8.6% vs. 0.4%, P < 0.001), and azathioprine (12.5% vs. 0.1%, P < 0.001) (Table 1)
Comparison of the incidence of NTM infection among SS patients with that among non-SS individuals Table 2 shows a comparison of the incidence rate of NTM infection among SS patients with that among non-SS individuals
Summary
Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection in immunocompromized patients is currently a growing health concern, and we aimed to examine the relative risk of NTM infection in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) compared with that in non-SS individuals. Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), affecting approximately 1% of the general population, is a systemic chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltrates in the exocrine glands and is primarily manifested with an insidious onset of dry eyes and dry mouth [1, 2]. Management of SS primarily consists of symptomatic treatment of sicca complaints and corticosteroids, while immunosuppressive agents, including azathioprine, Chao et al BMC Infectious Diseases (2017) 17:796 with incident SS using a nationwide, population-based cohort
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have