Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

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…

People with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are more likely to develop an aneurysm — a bulge in a blood vessel wall that can burst or rupture — than those with other types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a small study in France. Aneurysms mainly affected medium-sized vessels, especially…

More than one-third of people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis, may experience eye symptoms, a study in Italy has found. In many cases, eye symptoms were present from the onset of disease, sometimes even preceding more specific symptoms affecting other body parts. “Patients should…

Higher blood levels of soluble interleukin 7 receptor subunit alpha (sIL-7R alpha) — a portion of a receptor protein involved in inflammation — significantly associate with lower disease activity in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a small study found. These preliminary findings suggest that the soluble receptor protein “can…