Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with kidney disease have significantly more activity among six genes associated with forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a type of antimicrobial web produced by immune neutrophil cells, a study shows. The activity levels of these genes increases with kidney function decline and is tied to…

A rare case of two family members with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), highlights the potential genetic underpinnings of the autoimmune disease, according to a recent report. This case of a mother and son both presenting with GPA add to a small, but accumulating,…

Blood levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant enzyme, are significantly lower in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) than those without this disease, and poorer outcomes are found in patients with greater reductions, a study reported. Specifically, lower blood SOD levels significantly associated with more inflammation, a greater likelihood…

Among the 56 reported cases of new or relapsed ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, more than three-quarters achieved remission with prompt treatment, according to a recent review study. SARS-COV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. AAV after vaccination may be related to several different mechanisms, including inflammation,…

Measuring neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) — a type of antimicrobial web produced by immune neutrophil cells — induced by blood samples could be a useful way of monitoring the course of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study shows. Compared with blood from people without the disease, blood from AAV patients…

Patients with active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) can be distinguished from those who are in remission by the presence of different subsets of a type of immune cell known as regulatory T-cells, or Tregs, a new study reported. Reduced functionality of these regulatory immune cells had been previously implicated in…

Half of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) developed a poor long-term outcome — kidney disease, cancer or death — in the years after their diagnosis, according to a recent study in China. Impaired kidney filtration, low blood potassium, older age, and kidney or heart involvement at diagnosis were among…

Both the form of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and the specific types of disease-causing antibody a patient has can influence the clinical presentation — the physical signs and symptoms a person experiences — and prognosis of the autoimmune disease, a new study reported. Using a large U.S. database of AAV…

The function of endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) is impaired in people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) — a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) — who are in disease remission, according to a recent study. Impairments in ECFCs’ ability to repair damaged blood vessels — their normal role — even…

Blood levels of molecules called soluble immune checkpoints (sICPs) may serve as biomarkers of relapse risk in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. Patients with lower levels of these molecules were more likely to relapse after being in remission following treatment with rituximab, but were less likely…