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People with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) who carry antibodies against the proteinase 3 (PR3) protein have more frequent relapses and a shorter time to relapse or death than patients without such antibodies, a South Korean study shows. These findings highlight the need to look for the presence of…

Kidney inflammation associated with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) was recently reported in a man following his second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. While cases of AAV have been described after COVID-19 infection and vaccination, this is only the third case of AAV-related kidney inflammation, with antibodies against the proteinase…

Poor kidney function and worse overall disease severity at diagnosis can predict kidney failure in adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a small single-center study in Turkey. In addition, AAV patients with either hypocomplementemia — low levels of complement proteins in the blood — or a five-factor score…

Treatment with the CD20 inhibitor rituximab is significantly associated with poor antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines among people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. However, the number of antibody-producing B-cells, the rituximab dose, and the timing between last rituximab administration and vaccination were all important factors determining how…

Winding up its 35th year, the U.S.-based Vasculitis Foundation (VF) is making its annual call for support for its programs and initiatives, which aim to help existing and future vasculitis patients. Key among them is to train more clinicians for treating ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Calling itself the world’s…

Immunoadsorption, a procedure that removes specific antibodies from the blood, may speed remission in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and serious kidney disease and help more patients attain this outcome, a small study found. The treatment approach also lowered mortality and reduced the risk of kidney failure or death…

Blood levels of several proteins — CXCL13, interleukins IL-6, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) — were validated as effective at identifying active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in a long-term study. The study, “Serum Biomarkers of Disease Activity in Longitudinal Assessment…

Outcomes of kidney transplants for children with kidney failure related to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are comparable to outcomes of transplants for children with other causes of kidney disease, highlighting that the procedure is generally safe and effective for children with AAV. That’s according to the study “…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in the months immediately following AAV diagnosis, a population-based analysis found. “Our study demonstrates a key ‘high-risk window’ that should prompt careful monitoring for CV [cardiovascular] disease and aggressive risk factor reduction,” the scientists said. The…

People over the age of 65 with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have worse mortality outcomes than younger patients, but kidney failure is not greater in this group, according to a recent study. These worse outcomes were associated with lower levels of hemoglobin — the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in…