News

The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) work group has released an updated practice guideline based on developments in how best to manage ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) associated with inflammation or damage to the kidneys. The guideline now offers advice on the use of lower doses of…

Biomarkers measured in blood or urine may help track disease activity and organ damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a systematic review study. AAV is an autoimmune disorder in which self-reactive antibodies called anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) attack the body’s own neutrophils — a type of…

Fasenra (benralizumab), which is approved for a rare type of asthma, and Nucala (mepolizumab) were similarly effective at inducing remission in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), but more people on Fasenra were able to stop using oral corticosteroids (OCS), with fewer monthly injections. That’s according to final published…

Occupational exposure to silica, one of the most common minerals in the earth’s crust, may lead to microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) — a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis — particularly in individuals with a genetic predisposition to autoimmune diseases, a case report suggests. Silica, found in sand and rocks, is known to…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) relapses occur more frequently during the summer and spring, particularly for people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or with anti-proteinase 3 (PR3) antibodies, a study in Japan reports. More frequent nasal infections caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus during the summer in Japan may trigger inflammation…

Women and younger people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) tended to report worse health-related quality of life measures than do others in assessments, according to a review of published studies. More research is needed to assess disease-specific complaints about quality of life, the investigators said — and the team also…

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) that required dialysis or a kidney transplant was associated with an elevated risk of death among people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), compared to patients who didn’t develop the complication, research indicates. A kidney transplant was associated with better prognosis compared to dialysis. On kidney biopsies,…

Most people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) experience acute or chronic kidney injury, according to a five-year national study in the U.S. More severe kidney damage is observed in people with the AAV disease type microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) than in those with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), and less severe symptoms are…

Long-term treatment with benralizumab — sold as Fasenra for a rare type of asthma — safely leads to clinical remission in up to two-thirds of people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a real-world study shows. “Across a [two]-year period of treatment, we have observed extremely positive outcomes with benralizumab…

Tavneos (avacopan) improved kidney function and reduced the need for the glucocorticoid prednisone in four older patients who had signs of kidney failure due to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), researchers in Canada report. While Tavneos may help patients enter into remission without the harmful side effects of glucocorticoids, “more…