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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
07:42
A Data-Driven Approach to Quantifying Immune States in Sepsis
Published on: February 7, 2025
Sepsis in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: Risk Factors, Pathophysiology, and Outcomes
Meiyi Tian1, Zhuo Sun1, Yang Zhang1
1Department of Rheumatology, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
|August 14, 2026
Summary
Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) face high sepsis risks due to immune issues and treatments. Understanding shared pathways and risk factors is key to improving survival in this vulnerable group.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Sepsis is a major cause of death in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs).
- Patients with ARDs are vulnerable due to chronic immune dysregulation, organ damage, and immunosuppressive therapies.
- Shared immunopathological mechanisms exist between ARDs and sepsis, but their functional consequences vary by ARD subtype.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize epidemiological, genetic, and mechanistic evidence on sepsis in ARDs.
- To discuss risk factors, management strategies, and healthcare policy implications.
- To critically evaluate the time-dependent mortality paradox in ARD patients with sepsis.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and narrative synthesis.
- Inclusion of 87 studies.
- PRISMA 2020 guidance adherence.
Main Results:
- ARDs and sepsis share overlapping immune pathways, but outcomes differ by ARD subtype, sepsis definition, and immune phenotype.
- Risk factors include disease-related, immune-related, treatment-related, demographic, and healthcare-system factors.
- A mortality paradox exists: improved short-term survival but elevated long-term mortality in some ARDs.
Conclusions:
- A deeper understanding of sepsis-ARD interactions is needed.
- Development of risk stratification tools and personalized therapies can improve outcomes.
- Addressing modifiable risk factors is crucial for high-risk populations.
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