News

AAV genetic risk factors may differ according to sex: Study

Women carrying a genetic mutation dubbed rs9274619 have a significantly higher risk of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) associated with antibodies against myeloperoxidase (MPO) than men, a new study shows. Among MPO-AAV patients, this mutation was linked to a greater likelihood of eye involvement and a lower risk of lung involvement.

Use of maintenance therapy in AAV not found to increase infection risk

Maintenance therapy with immunosuppressive agents such as rituximab and azathioprine do not increase the frequency of serious infections beyond what’s expected in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a new review study. Regardless of the medication used, fatal infections were uncommon during the maintenance therapy period, data…

New recommendations for managing AAV released by EULAR

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,…

Aneurysms more common in GPA than other AAV types: Study

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…

Eye symptoms seen in one-third of GPA patients in Italian study

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…