Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Developing pulmonary hypertension (PH), which occurs when pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs becomes too high, more than triples the mortality risk among people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study finds. PH may be relatively more common in AAV patients than understood, occurring in about…

Nearly half of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) patients are able to stop taking glucocorticoids after a median of nine months on Nucala (mepolizumab), a small study in Japan suggests. This was true even for those with severe symptoms of this rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV),…

Immunosuppressants may help prevent subglottic stenosis — a condition wherein part of the windpipe becomes tight — from returning in people with a type of ANCA-related vasculitis called granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a small Italian study suggests. The study, “Role of systemic immunosuppression on subglottic stenosis in granulomatosis…

A blood marker, called C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR), may predict and help monitor disease activity in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a small study in Turkey. This is important in clinical practice because “close monitoring, early recognition, and timely treatment of disease activity may limit…

Two types of self-reactive antibodies, called anti-HMGB1 and anti-moesin antibodies, are present at significantly higher levels in the blood of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients relative to healthy people and those with other autoimmune diseases, a study shows. The levels of these antibodies are also linked to how AAV manifested…

About 1 in 10 people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) failed to achieve complete remission at three months after starting induction treatment with rituximab, according to a small study in France. Poor responders were more likely to have symptoms in a specific area of the body — a localized form…

Argenx is planning to launch a proof-of-concept clinical trial later this year to test its therapy efgartigimod, approved to treat another autoimmune disease, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Data from proof-of-concept studies can help companies and their researchers decide whether to develop a medicine for a specific…

May is Vasculitis Awareness Month and this year there are plenty of ways to get involved and raise awareness about the disease under the slogan “Navigating the unknown: You are not alone.” To help people stay engaged throughout the campaign, the Vasculitis Foundation has assembled an interactive calendar…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure have a lower risk of relapse, but a higher risk of infection and death, according to a review study. These findings help piece together evidence “to provide guidance for managing these patients and to guide future research opportunities,” researchers wrote.

People with relapsing ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who achieved remission with rituximab and glucocorticoids have less than half the risk of experiencing a new relapse if they continue on rituximab treatment than if they start daily oral azathioprine. That’s according to the full results of the Phase 3…