박준원 교수

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) and its risk factors in patients with rheumatic disease receiving non-high-dose steroid treatment, along with the risks and benefits of PCP prophylaxis. METHODS: This study included 28,292 treatment episodes with prolonged (≥ 4 weeks), non-high-dose steroids (low dose [< 15 mg/day, n = 27,227] and medium dose [≥ 15 to < 30 mg/day, n = 1065], based on prednisone) over a 14-year period. Risk factors for PCP and prophylactic e

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment and inflammation control on radiographic progression in early ankylosing spondylitis (AS) over 4 years. METHODS: We included a total of 215 patients with early AS (symptom duration <10 years) treated with TNFi (the TNFi group; n = 135) or with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (the control group; n = 80). Two blinded readers assessed radiographic progression using the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spo

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of dose reduction of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) on radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-five patients treated with etanercept or adalimumab were selected from a consecutive single-center observational cohort based on the availability of radiographs at baseline and after two- and/or four-years of follow up. Radiographs were assessed by two blinded readers using the modified Stokes AS Spinal Score (

OBJECTIVE: To identify a specific population of patients with rheumatic diseases receiving rituximab treatment for whom the benefit from primary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) outweighs the risk of adverse events (AEs). METHODS: This study included 818 patients treated with rituximab for rheumatic diseases, among whom 419 received prophylactic trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) with rituximab, while the remainder did not. Differences in 1-year PJP incidence betwe

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between the extent of tapering tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and the likelihood of achieving inactive disease in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) METHODS: We analyzed 1575 1-year follow-up interval data of 776 axSpA patients treated with TNFi for more than 1 year in a nationwide observational cohort. The decision on tapering TNFi was made by patients and their physicians. We quantified TNFi used during interval as a dose quotient (

Although several clinical features were associated with detection failure, SF MSU crystal identification was critically dependent on the observer. Considering the impact on the treatment outcomes, implementation of a quality control program is essential.

Our results showed that longitudinal serum urate levels were significantly reduced in men receiving ADT. This finding suggests that androgen could have an independent role in urate homeostasis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) standardized training on the accuracy of modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: Eight SSc patients (four diffuse, four limited) and 10 physicians (4 fellows, 6 professors) were included. Gold-standard mRSS was performed by a senior instructor. Training comprised a video presentation and a live demonstration. Each physician performed mRSS with no clinical infor

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose etanercept treatment after clinical remission of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the real world. METHODS: Data on 134 AS patients who were treated with etanercept for more than 12 months and achieved clinical remission (BASDAI<4 and CRP<0.5 mg/dL) were extracted from a large single centre registry. Drug survival and incidence of adverse events in 100 patients who reduced the dose during follow up (low-dose group) were compared with 34

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) on the incidence of serious infections in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). METHODS: This multicenter cohort study was designed to emulate a target trial that studied 296 patients with AAV who were treated with rituximab (RTX) or cyclophosphamide (CYC) as induction therapy. Patients were grouped based on the administration of TM

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with rheumatic diseases receiving high-dose glucocorticoids and to evaluate the preventive effect of isoniazid (INH). METHODS: This study included 1618 treatment episodes of prolonged (≥4 weeks), high-dose steroids (≥30mg/day of prednisone) in 1160 patients. Of these, INH was administered in 152 (9.4%) treatment episodes (INH group), while others received no prophylaxis (control group). The high-risk subgroup (n = 92) was d

OBJECTIVE: Although previous studies show that primary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is effective in patients with rheumatic diseases receiving immunosuppressive treatment, there is limited evidence regarding the optimal timing for prophylaxis withdrawal. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for PJP despite prophylaxis and provide evidence for an optimal prophylaxis schedule. METHODS: This case-control study included 1,294 prophylactic episodes in 1,148 pati

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the incidence rate and risk factors of bloodstream infection (BSI) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exposed to medium to high doses of glucocorticoids. METHODS: This study included 1109 treatment episodes with prolonged (≥4 weeks) medium-to-high-dose glucocorticoids (≥15 mg/day prednisolone) in 612 patients with SLE for over 14 years. Clinical features regarding systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K), im