PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Martin Englund
AU  - Peter A. Merkel
AU  - Gunnar Tomasson
AU  - Mårten Segelmark
AU  - Aladdin J. Mohammad
TI  - Comorbidities in Patients with Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-associated Vasculitis versus the General Population
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.151151
DP  - 2016 Aug 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 1553--1558
VI  - 43
IP  - 8
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/8/1553.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/8/1553.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2016 Aug 01; 43
AB  - Objective. To evaluate the consultation rates of selected comorbidities in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis (AAV) compared with the general population in southern Sweden.Methods. We used data from a population-based cohort of patients with AAV diagnosed between 1998 and 2010 in Southern Sweden (701,000 inhabitants). For each patient we identified 4 reference subjects randomly sampled from the general population and matched for year of birth, sex, area of residence, and index year. Using the population-based Skåne Healthcare Register, we identified relevant diagnostic codes, registered between 1998 and 2011, for selected comorbidities assigned after the date of diagnosis of AAV or the index date for the reference subjects. We calculated rate ratios for comorbidities (AAV:reference subjects).Results. There were 186 patients with AAV (95 women, mean age 64.5 yrs) and 744 reference persons included in the analysis. The highest rate ratios (AAV:reference) were obtained for osteoporosis (4.6, 95% CI 3.0–7.0), followed by venous thromboembolism (4.0, 95% CI 1.9–8.3), thyroid diseases (2.1, 95% CI 1.3–3.3), and diabetes mellitus (2.0, 95% CI 1.3–2.9). For ischemic heart disease, the rate ratio of 1.5 (95% CI 1.0–2.3) did not reach statistical significance. No statistically significant differences were found for cerebrovascular accidents.Conclusion. AAV is associated with increased consultation rates of several comorbidities including osteoporosis and thromboembolic and endocrine disorders. Comorbid conditions should be taken into consideration when planning and providing care for patients with AAV.