Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

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…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with proteinuria, elevated protein levels in their urine, after induction treatment are at a three times higher risk of kidney failure and/or death, according to a study based on data from five clinical trials. Data also linked persistent hematuria, or blood in the urine, after…