Treatment with immunosuppressants does not improve kidney function, but is associated with reduced risk of vasculitis relapse in a rare subset of patients with ANCA vasculitis (AAV), a new study reports. The research, “Patient Outcomes in Renal-Limited Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody Vasculitis With Inactive Histology,” was published…
Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who receive Rituxan (rituximab) infusions for maintaining sustained remission fare better in the long term than those receiving the immunosuppressant azathioprine, according to French researchers. Fewer patients who received Rituxan as remission-maintenance therapy experienced a relapse during a 60-month (five-year) follow-up. Researchers found that survival…
A new patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaire for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a reliable and feasible tool able to distinguish between different disease states, according to a new study. The study, “Validation of the ANCA-associated vasculitis patient-reported outcomes (AAV-PRO) questionnaire,” appeared in the journal Annals of the…
A combination treatment with Rituxan (rituximab), low-dose cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), and tapered corticosteroids induces significant disease remission and reduces risk of relapse in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with renal symptoms, U.K. researchers found. The study, “Long-term follow-up of a combined rituximab and cyclophosphamide regimen in…
Researchers developed a new questionnaire that assesses a patient’s perspective on how anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, or AAV, impacts health-related quality of life. While the questionnaire should be shorter and validity testing is needed, this patient-reported measure has already helped clinicians understand which health-related outcomes matter most to…
A man who had granulomatosis with polyangiitis and small lung lesions bled in the air sacs of his lungs after doctors treated him for his inflammatory blood vessel condition, a Japanese case study shows. Essentially, this meant that his condition had taken a turn for the worse. A mix of…
A case report of a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) along with ocular involvement suggests that Rituxan (rituximab) might be successful for people who don’t respond to prednisolone and cyclophosphamide. The study, “Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Associated with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Emerging Despite Cyclophosphamide, Successfully Treated with Rituximab,”…
Rituxan (rituximab) treatment is effective in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) who failed to respond to standard immunosuppressors, results from a Turkish study suggest. But the team at Istanbul University noted that key data on its use — especially long-term data — is still lacking. The…
Rituxan (rituximab) effectively induces and maintains remission in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), a new Saudi study shows. The study, “Systematic review of the role of rituximab in treatment of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis, hepatitis C virus-related cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, ankylosing spondylitis, and…
Lower levels of key immune system regulators in the kidneys of ANCA vasculitis patients may indicate more severe renal injury, according to a new study from China. The study, “Complement regulatory proteins in kidneys of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis,” appeared in the journal…
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