Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Classifying pulmonary manifestations in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with lung symptoms can help predict disease outcomes and determine which patients should receive more intensive treatment, a study from China suggests. For example, patients showing bleeding into the lungs (alveolar hemorrhage) in their computed tomography (CT) scan of the…

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an immunosuppressant, may sustain remission more efficiently than other therapies in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients who have kidney symptoms, a review of clinical trials found. The findings showed that, in clinical trials enrolling only patients with kidney involvement, more than 90% were estimated to maintain…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may be a rare complication of exposure to COVID-19 proteins, either through infection or vaccination, a report covering two women suggests. Both were diagnosed early and improved with supportive care and immunosuppressive therapy, the researchers noted. “This adverse event appears to be a very rare complication…

Immunoadsorption, a procedure that removes specific antibodies from the blood, may speed remission in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and serious kidney disease and help more patients attain this outcome, a small study found. The treatment approach also lowered mortality and reduced the risk of kidney failure or death…

Males are not at a greater risk than females of experiencing kidney failure or death due to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), regardless of the kind of kidney damage they have, a study found. These new findings counter the results of a 2018 study that had reported an increased risk of…

Treatment with tofacitinib is well tolerated and effectively induces remission in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), while enabling patients to lower their glucocorticoid doses, a small pilot study suggests. These results indicate that tofacitinib may represent a treatment option for active AAV. However, a larger and randomized controlled trial is needed…

A first course of rituximab is sufficient to trigger the development of anti-rituximab antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but not in those with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. The researchers had thought that rituximab might have similar effects in patients with SLE and AAV…

Inflammatory vaginitis — inflammation of the vagina — may develop in women receiving long-term treatment with rituximab for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) or other autoimmune diseases, a U.S. study says. The findings suggest that “women treated with rituximab should be screened for symptoms such as vaginal discharge and vaginal pain,” its…

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is well-tolerated and can be used to induce remission in people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a real-world study shows. Two-thirds of patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing EGPA achieved remission, or had no symptoms appearing for a time,…

Rituximab is safe and effective for inducing remission in two types of ANCA-associated vasculitis in children and adolescents: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), according to data from a Phase 2a trial. After one and a half years on the trial, all patients achieved remission, and safety…