Efficacy and Safety of Rituximab in Elderly Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Enrolled in a French Society of Rheumatology Registry

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) as a function of patient age. Methods We included all rheumatoid arthritis patients in the AutoImmunity and Rituximab registry with a 2-year followup. Results Of the 1,709 patients, 191 were age ≥75 years, 417 were ages 65–74 years, 907 were ages 50–64 years, and 194 were age 75 years). The reasons for discontinuation (inefficacy, adverse events) were the same in all 4 groups. Infections were more common in the elderly. Patients ages 65–75 years were more likely to be good responders than nonresponders at 1 year of followup than patients age ≥75 years (odds ratio 3.81, 95% confidence interval 1.14–12.79) after adjustment on disease duration, RF/anti-CCP positivity, corticosteroids, anti-TNF use, and baseline Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). After the sixth month, the decrease in DAS28 score was less marked in the population age >75 years than in the group age