News

Updated treatment guidelines from the British Society for Rheumatology favor rituximab over cyclophosphamide for active, relapsing ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and set a standard maintenance treatment period of about 2-4 years after the disease has entered remission, or is determined to be well controlled. These recommendations are part of…

The selective immunosuppressive medication abatacept failed to significantly prevent treatment failure relative to a placebo in people with relapsing, non-severe granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) taking part in a Phase 3 clinical trial, new data show. In addition to failing to meet this main goal of the study — called…

Up to two years of treatment with AstraZeneca’s Fasenra (benralizumab) helped adults with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) that’s difficult to treat achieve and maintain disease remission, while reducing or eliminating the need for oral corticosteroids. That’s according to combined data from the completed head-to-head portion and the…

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) therapy Tavneos (avacopan) is at least as effective as the glucocorticoid prednisone at inducing disease remission, reducing relapse rates, and improving kidney function and quality of life in patients with kidney involvement at treatment start. That’s according to new subgroup analyses from the Phase…

Facial palsy, or weakness of the facial muscles, is associated with a nearly 10 times higher risk of hearing loss with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a single-center study suggests. Older age, along with ear or eye involvement, were also significant risk factors for…

Treatments for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have improved over time, but many patients still develop permanent organ damage, even though the extent of it has been less severe in recent years, a study in Turkey suggests. Mortality rates have remained largely similar over the years, with death more likely among…

Immune neutrophils and the weblike structures they release to trap and kill microbes — called neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs — are key players in driving kidney damage in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and other diseases, a review study found. This points to neutrophils and NETs as potential targets for…

People diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) at age 75 or older may show more inflammation, higher rates of kidney involvement, or higher mortality than younger-onset patients based on their AAV type, a study in Japan finds. But immunosuppressive treatment plus standard corticosteroids appears to be more effective than corticosteroids…

An imaging test that can make detailed pictures of the heart can detect scar tissue buildup in the heart muscle of adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), even if they’re not having disease symptoms, a review study shows. “Incorporating cMRI [cardiac MRI] into routine evaluations could improve the detection and…

Infections are a leading cause of early death in adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), being most common in the first year after a diagnosis when treatment with immunosuppressive medications is most intense, a single-center study in Australia suggests. Hospitalizations due to infections tended to decrease after a dedicated vasculitis…