Table 1

Clinical and demographic parameters of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Parameter

Post-rituximab

(n = 11)

Pre-rituximab

(n = 8)

Controls

(n = 10)

Vaccination time

6 months after RTX

6 days before RTX

No RTX

B cells (% of mononuclear cells in circulation) (mean ± SD)

2.2 ± 5.2

4.7 ± 4.1

6.1 ± 2.9

Age, years

(mean ± SD, range)

60.4 ± 7.8

(45-70)

65.4 ± 11.5

(55-82)

63.6 ± 12.9

(48-95)

Gender, m/f

1/10

1/7

3/7

Disease duration, years

(range)

17.3 ± 13.1

(6-33)

8.6 ± 5.5

(3-18)

7.4 ± 4.6

(2-16)

Erosive

10 (91%)

7 (87%)

9 (90%)

RF, positive

11

8

10

Treatment

MTX, n (mg/week, mean ± SD)

10 (17.7 ± 6.3)^a

7 (18.7 ± 5.4)^b

10 (18.3 ± 5.6)

Previous anti-TNF, n

10

5

2

Previous RTX, n

4

1

0

Time after previous RTX, months

30 months

(14-48)

24 months

0

MTX, Methotrexate; RF, rheumatoid factor; RTX, rituximab; SD, standard deviation; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.

^aOne patient was receiving azathioprine treatment.

^bOne patient was receiving chlorambucil treatment.

Rehnberg et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2010 12:R111   doi:10.1186/ar3047