News

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) has updated its recommendations on managing ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) based on new research and clinical data. Four overarching principles were introduced — the importance of patient-physician joint decisions, disease education, routine screening for treatment side effects and additional medical conditions,…

Nearly one-fifth of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients in Japan have osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), a condition marked by the disruption of blood flow to the head of the femur, or thigh bone, a study showed. In most cases, the hip joints already collapsed or were at risk…

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…

Physicians in the U.S. are excited about the potential of Tavneos (avacopan), an approved treatment for people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), to reduce the use of corticosteroids, a type of steroid medication, in this patient population. That enthusiasm is due to the safety concerns associated with the long-term…

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…

Many people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have profound fatigue that’s severe enough to fulfill the diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, even when the disease isn’t active, a study shows. “We emphasize that physicians should be aware of this when assessing treatment and management strategies for improving quality…

Tavneos (avacopan) was generally safe and well tolerated in adults with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis treated under a global early access program (EAP) before the therapy’s approval, a study showed. EAPs make investigational therapies available outside clinical trials to people with serious or life-threatening conditions who have few or no…

A gene variant linked to increased production of proteinase-3 (PR3) — one of the targets of disease-causing antibodies in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) — is more common among patients with anti-PR3 antibodies than those with antibodies against the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein, a study showed. The higher blood PR3 levels with this…

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…

Immune T-cells positive for the GPR56 receptor protein — a marker for cell-killing immune cells — may contribute to local tissue damage in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients whose disease is associated with antibodies against the proteinase 3 (PR3) protein, a study showed. Notably, these cells were more likely to…