Forest Ray PhD,  —

Symptoms differ among people with the rare disorder eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), depending on whether they test positive or negative for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs). A recent case study revealed that ANCA-positive patients tended to have more blisters, body-wide inflammatory symptoms, and to receive higher doses of oral…

The American College of Rheumatology and the Vasculitis Foundation have published new guidelines to improve the treatment and management of systemic vasculitis, a group of inflammatory disorders that includes ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). The rarity of these disorders can make them challenging to diagnose and treat. The new…

Creating ways to speed the process of getting an accurate diagnosis would help the health outcomes of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis and other types of vasculitis, a study says. Delays in obtaining an accurate diagnosis are linked to unemployment, the need to travel long distances to a medical center,…

Adding vilobelimab (IFX-1) to standard of care treatment is safe and well-tolerated among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to top-line results from the ongoing Phase 2 IXPLORE study. Some participants also showed clinical response and remission, although the study was not designed to assess the statistical significance…

A molecule released by platelets — cell fragments in the blood that form clots and stop or prevent bleeding — appears to contribute to the progression of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) by triggering a defense mechanism carried out by white blood cells. Researchers now have identified a key signaling event…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who receive rituximab treatment may have a higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and should therefore be considered vaccination priorities, a recent case report suggests. The time since a patient’s last rituximab infusion and their current immunoglobulin level appear to be the most important…

Kidney transplant recipients, whose kidney failure stemmed from ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), have less risk of disease recurrence but a higher risk of dying with a functioning transplant,  a recent study suggests. These patients also had a higher risk of dying from complications due to immunosuppression and infection. The study,…

The two COVID-19 vaccines that recently received emergency approval from the U.S. and other worldwide regulatory agencies are expected to pose little risk to the rare disease community, including to patients with compromised immune systems or those participating in gene therapy studies. That was the message of a recent…

Avacopan is superior to prednisone at improving kidney health in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and poor kidney function, and in extending time until a disease relapse, new data from a Phase 3 trial show. These findings were recently shared at ACR Convergence 2020, the virtual annual meeting of…

Exagen, a life sciences company developing tests for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of autoimmune conditions, has launched a new test for the rapid diagnosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Named AVISE Vasculitis AAV, the test measures for a panel of biomarkers, each of which helps determine the…