Patricia Inacio, PhD,  science writer—

In patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), the reappearance of ANCA autoantibodies may work as a biomarker for predicting relapse, a new study suggests. Routine monitoring of ANCA antibody levels should be implemented in AAV patients in remission as a means to determine their risk of relapse, according to Japanese…

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who develop pulmonary bleeding as a result of their condition fare significantly better if they receive plasma exchange therapy, a kind of blood purification technique, researchers say. Their study, “Effect of plasma exchange on in-hospital mortality in patients with pulmonary hemorrhage secondary to…

Isotretinoin, a medication used to treat severe acne, may in rare instances lead to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to the case report of a 15-year-old boy. The study, “Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive vasculitis, oligoarthritis, tendinitis, and myositis associated with isotretinoin in a 15-year-old boy: Case report and review…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two automated diagnostic tests that AESKU.Group developed for ANCA-associated vasculitis. AESKU used its HELIOS technology to develop the tests. HELIOS is the only diagnostic tool capable of both processing and analyzing a patient’s blood sample via an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) in a single run, the…

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis carry a threefold higher risk for cardiovascular disease, and a eightfold greater risk for cerebrovascular accidents, compared to the general population, a long-term study shows. The study, “Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Venous Thromboembolism Among Patients With Incident ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: A 20-Year Population-Based Cohort…

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have a higher prevalence of thyroid disease than the general population, a single-center retrospective analysis shows. But the increase in thyroid disease is not related to the use of anti-thyroid medications, researchers said. The study, “Increased Prevalence of Thyroid Disease in…

Chest manifestations and disease activity at diagnosis may help predict the risk of  infections during hospital stays in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), a retrospective study suggests. The South Korean study, “Birmingham vasculitis activity and chest manifestation at diagnosis can predict hospitalised infection in ANCA-associated vasculitis,”…

Measuring levels of protein CD25 in blood and urine can help determine if ANCA-associated vasculitis is affecting patients’ kidneys, a study suggests. A research team published the study in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. The title is “Urinary and serum soluble CD25 complements urinary soluble CD163 to detect active…

Differences in red blood cell size may help predict how active a blood vessel condition called granulomatosis with polyangiitis will be, and whether patients are likely to have a poor outcome, a South Korean study suggests. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a form of ANCA-associated vasculitis, or AAV. The study, “Red…

Patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) who receive daily oral cyclophosphamide have increased bone marrow toxicity and tend to be hospitalized more often because of infections, than patients who receive the treatment intravenously. Those findings were detailed in the report “Long-term outcomes of daily oral vs. pulsed…