News

Cash-strapped governments across the 28-member European Union are struggling to control runaway healthcare expenditures — at exactly the same time as the promise of new but expensive therapies to treat rare diseases has never been greater. That’s the paradox faced by pharmaceutical companies as well as patient advocacy groups in…

Hydralazine, a medication commonly used to lower blood pressure, may in rare cases cause ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a new case report shows. The study, “Hydralazine-induced MPO-ANCA Renal-Limited Vasculitis Masquerading as Lupus Nephritis,” was published in the Journal of the…

Elevated levels of the CD64 protein on the surface of neutrophils – a type of immune cell – accurately distinguishes bacterial infection from disease flares in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study has found. The study, “Utility of neutrophil…

In rare cases, ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) presents as an interstitial lung disease with a pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia several years before the clinical onset of vasculitis, a case report suggests. The report, “Interstitial lung disease with usual interstitial pneumonia pattern preceding the presentation of ANCA-associated vasculitis…

The occurrence of a severe infection during the first month of care is a strong predictor of one-year mortality among patients 65 and older with ANCA-associated renal vasculitis — a form of kidney inflammation caused by ANCA antibodies — a retrospective study reports. The study, “Early predictors of one-year…

Disease status at three and six months seems to predict long-term survival and kidney failure in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study shows. These findings suggest that early disease control could be used as a surrogate endpoint, or objective, for AAV clinical trials, potentially shortening their duration. The study, “…

Plasma exchange — a procedure that removes plasma from the blood and replaces it with a donor-derived substitute — does not lessen a risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or death in patients with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), data from a Phase 3 trial show. Trial findings, however, appear to…

Blocking the interaction between immune B-cells and CD8-positive T-cells may be what makes Rituxan (rituximab) an effective treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study reports. Findings of the study, “B cell depletion therapy dampens CD8+ T cell response in ANCA‐associated vasculitis,” were published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Nearly one in 10 ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients receiving azathioprine as a maintenance treatment for their condition develop hypersensitivity to the therapy, which manifests as whole body inflammation and skin eruptions, increasing the risk of relapse. Researchers should be aware of this complication, which is more common than previously thought, to…

Standard therapies used to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), like cyclophosphamide or Rituxan (rituximab), appear to be of benefit in patients who are pregnant, a literature review suggests. The study, “Successful treatment outcomes in pregnant patients with ANCA‐associated vasculitides: A systematic review of literature,” was published in the International Journal…