Sabine Sparre Dieperink, MD: The Increased Risk of Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia in Rheumatoid Arthritis – What Is the Impact of Glucocorticoids, Biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs and Disease Activity: A Danish Nationwide Nested Case-Control Study in the DANBIO Registry

Poster Presenter: Sabine Sparre Dieperink, MD, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark, and University of Copenhagen

Poster Title: The Increased Risk of Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia in Rheumatoid Arthritis – What Is the Impact of Glucocorticoids, Biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs and Disease Activity: A Danish Nationwide Nested Case-Control Study in the DANBIO Registry

Ignite Session 7B
Monday, November 14 | 1:05–1:10 p.m. ET | South Philly Stage
All ACR Convergence 2022 poster presentations are available on demand to registered meeting participants through October 31, 2023.

What is your poster about?
We studied the impact of anti-rheumatic treatments and disease activity on the risk of staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our main finding was a dose-dependently increased risk in patients receiving oral glucocorticoids. Daily use of more than 7.5 mg prednisolone appeared to be a clinically significant risk factor, whereas lower-dose prednisolone, biological treatment, and disease activity had a minor impact.

Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
We previously conducted a nationwide study comparing risk of S. aureus bacteremia in patients with RA compared with the general population. We found that the risk was approximately doubled in patients with RA and increased five-fold in patients with RA and orthopedic implants. However, in that study, we did not have information available regarding anti-rheumatic treatment and disease activity, which are both modifiable risk factors and, as such, relevant in the shared decision-making between the doctor and patient in the treatment of RA.

What are you working on next related to this research?
S. aureus bacteremia is a condition with high mortality and high risk of metastatic infections such as prosthetic joint infections. I am now looking into the outcome of the infection in patients with RA.

What excites you most about your work?
That it is useful in daily practice. Based on this work, we can make recommendations to carefully consider prednisolone-sparing alternatives when more than 7.5mg per day is needed for disease control, especially in individuals aged 70 years or more and/or patients with other comorbidities or orthopedic implants, who have the highest absolute risk of S. aureus bacteremia.