Araştırma Makalesi

Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study

Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1 19 Ocak 2026
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Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study

Öz

Objective: To evaluate the effect of biological (bDMARD) and targeted synthetic (tsDMARD) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs on the risk of serious infections (SI) and to identify associated risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included RA patients followed at a single tertiary care center between August 2018 and August 2024. Patients meeting the ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria were divided into three groups: those receiving b/tsDMARDs (n=199), those receiving only conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) (n=50), and healthy controls (n=50). SI was defined as infections requiring hospitalization. Demographic, clinical, and treatment data were collected from electronic medical records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze risk factors. ROC curve analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of treatment duration. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 27 (IBM). Results: SI occurred in 15.8% (n=31) of patients in the b/tsDMARD group, compared to 14% (n=7) in the csDMARD group and 4% (n=2) in the control group. b/tsDMARD use significantly increased the risk of SI compared to healthy controls (OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 1.09-12.28; p=0.035), but no significant difference was found compared to the csDMARD group (p=0.781). In multiple regression analysis, advanced age (p=0.005) and prolonged b/tsDMARD use (p=0.014) were identified as independent risk factors for SI. ROC analysis identified 57.5 months of treatment duration as a threshold value for SI risk (Area Under the Curve: 0.624; p=0.023). Treatment duration exceeding this threshold increased the risk by 1.175-fold (p=0.009). Among drugs, rituximab use was associated with a higher risk of SI compared to other agents (OR: 1.72; p=0.005). Pneumonia was the most common site of SI. Conclusion: b/tsDMARD therapy increases the risk of SI in RA patients, particularly with prolonged use and in advanced age. The risk may vary among different biological agents; in our study, rituximab was associated with a higher risk. These findings emphasize the importance of personalized risk-benefit assessment and close monitoring for infections in RA management.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Destekleyen Kurum

none

Etik Beyan

Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Medicine Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Date: 03.09.2024, Number: 05)

Teşekkür

none

Kaynakça

  1. Cross M, Smith E, Hoy D, et al. The global burden of rheumatoid arthritis: estimates from the global burden of disease 2010 study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2014; 73:1316-1322.
  2. Almutairi KB, Nossent JC, Preen DB, et al. The Prevalence of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Population-based Studies. J Rheumatol. 2021; 48(5):669-676.
  3. Chauhan K, Jandu JS, Brent LH, et al. Rheumatoid Arthritis. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. 2024.
  4. Au K, Reed G, Curtis JR, et al. High disease activity is associated with an increased risk of infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011; 70:785-791.
  5. Smolen JS, Landewé RBM, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2019 update. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79(6):685-699.
  6. Singh JA, Cameron C, Noorbaloochi S, et al. Risk of serious infection in biological treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2015; 386:258-265.
  7. Quartuccio L, Zabotti A, Del Zotto S, et al. Risk of serious infection among patients receiving biologics for chronic inflammatory arthritis: a real-life study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2018; 36:1011-1018.
  8. Johnston SS, Turpcu A, Shi N, Fowler R, Chu BC, Alexander K. Risk of infections in rheumatoid arthritis patients switching from anti-TNF agents to rituximab, abatacept, or another anti-TNF agent, a retrospective administrative claims analysis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2013;43(1):39-47.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Romatoloji ve Artrit

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

19 Ocak 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

1 Kasım 2025

Kabul Tarihi

12 Aralık 2025

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1

Kaynak Göster

APA
Koç, E., Emir Okan, E. İ., Pekdiker, M., & Kimyon, G. (2026). Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study. Aksaray Üniversitesi Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(1), 18-22. https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG
AMA
1.Koç E, Emir Okan Eİ, Pekdiker M, Kimyon G. Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study. asujms. 2026;6(1):18-22. https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG
Chicago
Koç, Emrah, Elif İde Emir Okan, Mete Pekdiker, ve Gezmiş Kimyon. 2026. “Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study”. Aksaray Üniversitesi Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi 6 (1): 18-22. https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG.
EndNote
Koç E, Emir Okan Eİ, Pekdiker M, Kimyon G (01 Ocak 2026) Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study. Aksaray Üniversitesi Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi 6 1 18–22.
IEEE
[1]E. Koç, E. İ. Emir Okan, M. Pekdiker, ve G. Kimyon, “Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study”, asujms, c. 6, sy 1, ss. 18–22, Oca. 2026, [çevrimiçi]. Erişim adresi: https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG
ISNAD
Koç, Emrah - Emir Okan, Elif İde - Pekdiker, Mete - Kimyon, Gezmiş. “Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study”. Aksaray Üniversitesi Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi 6/1 (01 Ocak 2026): 18-22. https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG.
JAMA
1.Koç E, Emir Okan Eİ, Pekdiker M, Kimyon G. Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study. asujms. 2026;6:18–22.
MLA
Koç, Emrah, vd. “Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study”. Aksaray Üniversitesi Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi, c. 6, sy 1, Ocak 2026, ss. 18-22, https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG.
Vancouver
1.Emrah Koç, Elif İde Emir Okan, Mete Pekdiker, Gezmiş Kimyon. Risk of Serious Infections in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs: A Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study. asujms [Internet]. 01 Ocak 2026;6(1):18-22. Erişim adresi: https://izlik.org/JA33ZX54UG