ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 1767

Epidemiology of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) and Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) in Germany: A Claims Database Study

Bernhard Hellmich1, Konstantin Neukirch2, Marco Lukas2, Martin Wernitz2, Dominik Beier3 and Dennis Häckl4, 1Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Immunology, Medius Kliniken, University of Tübingen, Kirchheim Teck, Germany, 2GlaxoSmithKline GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, Germany, 3InGef - Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin GmbH, Berlin, Germany, 4WIG2 GmbH, Leipzig, Germany

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2022

Keywords: Comorbidity, Demographics, Eosinophilic Granulomatosus with Polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss), Epidemiology, longitudinal studies

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Monday, November 14, 2022

Title: Epidemiology and Public Health Poster III

Session Type: Poster Session D

Session Time: 1:00PM-3:00PM

Background/Purpose: EGPA and HES are rare multisystemic diseases associated with eosinophilia. Robust data on the epidemiology and treatment of HES and EGPA are scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and treatment of HES and EGPA in Germany by analyzing population-based health claims data.

Methods: The study was conducted with the InGef research database, which contains anonymized data from approximately 4 million insured persons of 60 German statutory health insurances, representative to the age- and sex-structure of Germany. The study was designed as a cross-sectional study with an observation period from 2014-2019. An EGPA case was defined as a diagnosis according to ICD-10-GM code M30.1 (Polyarteritis with lung involvement [Churg-Strauss]), either as a main- or secondary inpatient diagnosis, or as two verified outpatient diagnoses in different quarters within the respective study year. In case of verified outpatient diagnoses, a prescription of corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, ciclosporin, rituximab, leflunomide, mycophenolic acid, methotrexate or azathioprine had to be made in at least one of the quarters in which EGPA was diagnosed. In the same approach, a HES case was defined as a diagnosis according to ICD-10-GM code D72.1 (Eosinophilia) or D47.5 (Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia [HES]) and in case of outpatient diagnoses, a prescription of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents (azathioprine, interferon alfa, peginterferon alfa, ciclosporin), hydroxycarbamide or imatinib had to be made. Data from the representative sample were extrapolated to the German population.

Results: Projected to the total German population, prevalence of EGPA and HES in 2019 were 3.89 and 10.44, while incidence proportions were 0.75 patients and 3.95 per 100,000 population, respectively. Both prevalence and incidence increased during the observation period. EGPA prevalence and incidence were higher in females (56% and 64%), while HES prevalence and incidence proportions were comparable between male and female populations (51% and 49% female). New EGPA cases were almost exclusively found in patients over 18 years of age. HES incidence proportion was mostly higher in the younger age groups (e.g., for 2018, patients < 12 years and patients between 12 and < 18 years vs. patients ≥18 years: 4.80 and 4.31 cases vs. 3.38 cases per 100,000 population under risk). The majority of both EGPA and HES patients was treated with corticosteroids and about a quarter of EGPA patients with azathioprine. Asthma was among the most frequent comorbidity (EGPA: 70.70%; HES: 54.74% of patients).

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest study on the epidemiology of patients with EGPA and HES in Germany reported so far. Although both diseases are rare, prevalence increased continuously in the years 2015-2019. EGPA and HES were diagnosed more frequently than it was estimated by previous self-reporting registry-based studies. The findings indicate that in the past epidemiological data of EGPA and HES may have been underestimated but may also reflect improved diagnostic methods and disease recognition.

Supporting image 1

Figure 1. Prevalence and incidence of HES and EGPA. (A) Number of prevalent EGPA and HES cases projected to total German population. (B) Number of incident EGPA and HES cases projected to total German population.

Supporting image 2

Table 1: Prescribed medications for EGPA and HES patients in 2019

Supporting image 3

Table 2: 20 most common comorbid diagnoses according to ICD_10-GM in EGPA and HES patients in 2019


Disclosures: B. Hellmich, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb(BMS), Chugai, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), InflaRx, Merck/MSD, Novartis, Roche, Vifor, AbbVie/Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Janssen, Pfizer, Phadia; K. Neukirch, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); M. Lukas, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); M. Wernitz, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); D. Beier, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); D. Häckl, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Hellmich B, Neukirch K, Lukas M, Wernitz M, Beier D, Häckl D. Epidemiology of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) and Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) in Germany: A Claims Database Study [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022; 74 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiology-of-eosinophilic-granulomatosis-with-polyangiitis-egpa-and-hypereosinophilic-syndrome-hes-in-germany-a-claims-database-study/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to ACR Convergence 2022

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiology-of-eosinophilic-granulomatosis-with-polyangiitis-egpa-and-hypereosinophilic-syndrome-hes-in-germany-a-claims-database-study/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology