Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Clinical trials testing new treatments for people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) need more uniformity in the patients they recruit and in the outcome measures used for efficacy assessments, a new review indicates. The review, “Randomized clinical trials in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a systematic analysis of the WHO…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who have kidney involvement when they are diagnosed are more likely to experience major kidney relapses later, a new study shows. The study also indicates that induction treatment with cyclophosphamide and/or rituximab can protect against these relapses. Titled “Renal involvement…

Guidelines for using rituximab as a maintenance therapy in adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) were recently published that, in addition to helping physicians with treatment approaches, highlight areas where more research is needed. “Rituximab for maintenance of remission in ANCA-associated vasculitis: expert consensus guidelines,” was…

Continuing maintenance treatment with rituximab for long periods increases the likelihood that people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) remain in remission, without increasing the incidence or severity of adverse events, findings from a Phase 3 trial show. The study, “Long-Term Rituximab Use to Maintain Remission of…

In people with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), central nervous system involvement is associated with more active disease and peripheral nervous system involvement, a recent Chinese study suggests. The study, “Central nervous system involvement in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis: a study of 29…

Plasma exchange does not improve survival or prevent serious kidney disease in people with ANCA vasculitis, a study found. In addition, lower doses of glucocorticoids — steroid hormones that can ease inflammation — seem to be as effective as standard doses in terms of survival and kidney disease,…

The bacterium that causes Q fever — an infection usually transmitted to humans by barnyard animals — can trigger anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), a recent case report suggests. Titled “Coxiella burnetii endocarditis as a possible cause of ANCA-associated vasculitis,” the report was published…

People in Poland with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) are treated according to existing guidelines, and the most common treatment-associated adverse event is infection, according to a nationwide study. The study, “Treatment and its side effects in ANCA-associated vasculitides – Study based on POLVAS registry…

Muscle weakness may be an under-recognized symptom of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) with diagnosis likely requiring a biopsy of the muscle itself, a case report has found. The report, titled “Severe proximal muscle weakness with normal CK as a presenting feature of ANCA-associated vasculitis,”…

The presence of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus was not associated with a higher relapse rate of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a recent study suggests. These results challenge the idea that use of certain antibiotics may prevent AAV relapses, the researchers said. Titled “No evident association of nasal…