Clinical characteristics of and risk factors for serious infection in Japanese patients within six months of remission induction therapy for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis registered in a nationwide, prospective, inception cohort study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and predictors of serious infections (SIs) in the RemIT-JAV, a nationwide, prospective, inception cohort study for Japanese patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: We analyzed SIs within six months of remission induction therapy in 156 AAV patients. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SIs were calculated using the COX proportional hazard model.