Clinical features of korean elderly patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

Background/Aims: We compared the clinical and laboratory data between elderly and non-elderly patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-as-sociated vasculitis (AAV) at diagnosis; further, we investigated the predictors at diagnosis for all-cause mortality and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurrence during follow-up in Korean elderly patients with AAV. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 191 AAV patients regarding clinical manifestations and laboratory results at diagnosis and during follow-up. The fol-low-up duration was defined as the period from diagnosis to death for deceased patients or to the time of dialysis for ESRD patients, or to the last visit. Elderly (n = 67) and non-elderly (n = 124) patients were grouped based on an age threshold of 65 years. Results: At diagnosis, elderly patients exhibited higher median Birmingham Vas-culitis Activity Score (BVAS) and higher frequencies of ANCA positivity and pul-monary manifestations than non-elderly patients. Furthermore, elderly patients exhibited increased median white blood cell count, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alkaline phosphatase, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and decreased median hemoglobin. However, there were no significant differences in all-cause mortality and ESRD occurrence between elderly and non-elderly patients. Meanwhile, elderly patients exhibited lower cumulative patients’ and ESRD-free survival rates than non-elderly patients. In the multivariable Cox haz-ards model, BUN, creatinine and serum albumin at diagnosis were independent predictors for ESRD occurrence, whereas there were no independent predictors at diagnosis for all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Elderly AAV patients exhibited substantially higher rates of all-cause mortality and ESRD occurrence during follow-up compared than non-elderly AAV patients.