Differences in clinical characteristics of IgG4-related disease across age groups: a prospective study of 737 patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) among different age groups.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 737 patients who were newly diagnosed with IgG4-RD and compared detailed demographic features, organ involvements, laboratory tests, treatments and outcomes across age groups. The patients were divided into five groups according to their age at diagnosis: ≤39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and ≥70 years. The clinical characteristics of paediatric patients were also described.
Results: Sex ratio, disease duration, allergy history and clinical symptoms were significantly different across age groups. Besides, the proportions of superficial organ involvement (lacrimal gland and sinus) decreased with age, while the proportions of internal organ involvement (pancreas, biliary tract, retroperitoneal tissue, lung and prostate) increased with age, which was more prominent in male patients. Mikulicz's disease was the most common manifestation (70%) in paediatric IgG4-RD patients. Multiple Cox analysis identified that age ≤56 years at diagnosis was an independent risk factor of relapse.
Conclusion: We revealed the impact of age on clinical characteristics of IgG4-RD, which indicated that different management might be required among different age groups.
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