Most people who test positive for ANCAs — the self-reactive antibodies that drive most ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) cases — have pauci-immune glomerulonephritis (GN), a type of inflammation of the kidneys’ filtering units, a study found. A high number of blood-clotting-inducing platelets, high blood levels of the inflammatory marker…
Tavneos (avacopan) can control ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) just about as well as standard glucocorticoids but causes fewer side effects — and as such, use of the approved therapy may help people with AAV enjoy a better quality of life. Those are the findings of a review study by…
In severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), rituximab may be superior to cyclophosphamide at helping people survive beyond 10 years and achieve remission, while reducing the need for standard corticosteroids. These are the findings of a Japanese real-world study that also found rituximab was not associated with any infection-related deaths,…
An increase in blood levels of a self-reactive antibody called MPO-ANCA predicted the return of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) symptoms within months in most patients in a Belgian study. None of the patients whose MPO-ANCA levels decreased and remained undetectable in blood experienced relapses, data showed. “Monitoring MPO-ANCA levels in…
About half of the patients who began dialysis due to kidney disease from ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) could stop it within a year, with outcomes improving further in those treated with plasma exchange, a procedure that removes harmful antibodies from the blood, according to a study. “The need for dialysis…
A greater disease burden and poorer physical quality of life were found for people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) who test positive for self-reactive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) against the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein compared with EGPA patients who don’t have such autoantibodies. Those are the findings of a new…
In ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), about 1 in every 4 patients with glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney inflammation, have C3 immune protein deposits in their kidneys, and these are linked to more severe kidney problems, a study shows. These deposits didn’t appear to interfere with how long patients lived or…
Use of the experimental therapy BDB-001 helps adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) achieve at least partial disease remission, while reducing the need for standard glucocorticoids. That’s according to new data from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial conducted in China. Glucocorticoids, also commonly called corticosteroids, are a standard AAV…
Measuring circulating microRNAs — short RNA molecules that ultimately suppress gene activity — could offer doctors a less invasive way to monitor glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney inflammation, in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. However, the study included a small number of patients, and testing microRNAs, or miRNAs,…
Treatment with the immunosuppressants cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, or rituximab after ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients have experienced a brain bleed, or intracranial hemorrhage, is linked to better survival, according to a review of previously reported cases. “In our pooled analysis, we found that initiating [immunosuppressant] treatment after [brain bleeds] … was…
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