Adding a low dose of cyclophosphamide to rituximab for remission induction was safe and more effective at preventing relapses in the first two years in people with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) than rituximab alone, a new study shows. No significant benefit was observed in the combination treatment after five years.
Vasculitis UK is supporting a team of scientists investigating whether rising levels of inflammation due to aging — a process dubbed inflammageing — may be at the root of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). The charity has awarded a research grant to professors at Trinity College Dublin, in…
Surgical removal of an inflammatory lung lesion led to remission of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) — a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis — in a 77-year-old woman in Japan, without the use of immunosuppressive therapy, a case report describes. In cases of GPA without severe lesions, a “reevaluation of the…
A combination of lab tests commonly used to diagnose ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may be able to accurately predict the long-term prognosis of patients and maybe select those needing more aggressive treatment, according to a 15-year study in China. The study, “Long-Term Prognostic Factors in Patients With Antineutrophil…
A woman developed a rare case of acute kidney failure linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) following her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report. This case adds to previous reports suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines may, in rare instances, promote the development or exacerbation of autoimmune…
People with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) may, in rare cases, develop dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart’s chambers to enlarge and become thinner, making it harder for it to pump blood effectively to the rest of the body, a recent case report shows. This case highlights the…
A biopsy of heart muscle may aid in the diagnosis of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) with cardiac involvement in patients negative for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) and with a negative skin biopsy, a case study suggests. The study, “Endomyocardial biopsy facilitates diagnosis of…
A recent case report highlights the difficulties that can occur in diagnosing granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a form of ANCA-associated vasculitis, after a patient was initially diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis. The male patient had a mass in the mediastinum — the space between the lungs — initially attributed…
Stellate ganglion block, a procedure where a pain-relieving medicine is injected into the neck to block certain nerves, might be a successful therapeutic approach for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a recent case study suggests. The procedure helped control symptoms and lower corticosteroid doses, which are associated with detrimental…
People with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) who carry antibodies against the proteinase 3 (PR3) protein have more frequent relapses and a shorter time to relapse or death than patients without such antibodies, a South Korean study shows. These findings highlight the need to look for the presence of…
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