Characteristics and risk factors for infection in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis: A systematic review and...

To summarize the characteristics and risk factors for infection in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).

PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles from database inception to November 2023. The prevalence, odds ratio (OR), and mean difference (MD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were also performed.

Forty-one studies with 5343 patients with AAV were included, of whom 2890 patients experienced an infection. The pooled prevalence was 54.6 % (95 % CI, 48.4 % to 61.1 %) for all infections and 35.8 % (95 % CI, 31.0 % to 40.8 %) for severe infections; and prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, and specific bacterial infections were pooled. The respiratory system was the most common infection site, followed by blood, urinary tract, skin and soft tissue, and digestive infections. Risk factors for infection included older age, end-stage renal disease, dialysis, diabetes, smoking, kidney and lung involvement, leukopenia; higher Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, and serum creatinine and C-reactive protein levels; and lower hemoglobin levels, and platelet and CD4 counts. In addition, use of cyclophosphamide, steroid pulse therapy, plasma exchange, and higher initial glucocorticoid dose were associated with significantly increased risk of infection.

In patients with AAV, therapy should take risk factors for infection into account. Risk factors should be modified wherever possible. Physicians should be familiar with the common infection sites and pathogens, and consider empiric therapy covering common pathogens for life-threatening infections.