Ashraf Malhas, PhD,  —

A retrospective study has found an association between the length of prodromal phase – where patients experience non-specific symptoms before more specific disease signs develop – and mortality in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients. This finding underscores the importance of early diagnosis. The study, “Relation…

Persistent hematuria (blood in urine) in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients who achieved clinical remission after immunosuppressive therapy is not rare and may be due to chronic renal damage or low-grade active renal disease, a retrospective study has found. The study, “Persistent hematuria in patients…

A study has found that the severity of anemia in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated renal vasculitis is associated with increased renal dysfunction and shorter survival rates. The study, “Anaemia is an essential complication of ANCA-associated renal vasculitis: a single center cohort study,” was published in…

A case report finds that necrobiotic xanthogranuloma scleritis, an inflammation of the white part of the eye, could be an early sign of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. The study, “Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma scleritis in a case of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s granulomatosis)” was published in the International Medical Case…

Classifying patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) based on organ involvement at the time patients are first examined has stronger correlation with survival rates, than the customary classification based on disease phenotype, a study has found. The study, “Long-term patient survival in a Swedish population-based cohort…

Methotrexate is an effective and safe option for remission maintenance therapy in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study has found. The study, “Methotrexate versus cyclophosphamide for remission maintenance in ANCA-associated vasculitis: A randomised trial,” was published in the journal Plos One. AAV…

Long-term maintenance therapy with azathioprine (AZA) does not improve relapse rates in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to researchers. The study, “Long term azathioprine maintenance therapy in ANCA-associated vasculitis: combined results of long-term follow-up data,” was published in the journal…

Although certain immune cells are present at lower levels in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), it is due to non-specific renal injury rather than the disease itself, study shows. The study, “Alterations in circulating lymphoid cell populations in systemic small vessel vasculitis are non-specific…

Different types of ANCA-associated vasculitis occur in different ethnic groups, a study reports. The research, “Global ethnic and geographic differences in the clinical presentations of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody􏰀associated vasculitis,” was published in the journal Rheumatology. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies-associated vasculitis, or AAV, refers to three…

A retrospective study has investigated the central nervous system’s (CNS) involvement in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) in a group of Greek patients. The study found that CNS involvement does not affect long-term patient outcomes. ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) refers to a group of rare diseases characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and…