Have you ever felt like your brain just won’t cooperate? Like you’re wading through thick sludge trying to think clearly? You’re not imagining it, and you’re definitely not alone. As someone living with ANCA-associated vasculitis, I’ve heard multiple doctors say that brain fog isn’t part of this disease. But…
Alivedx’s Mosaiq Aiplex vasculitis assay, a platform test for the two main self-reactive antibodies that drive most cases of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), is now available for clinical use in the European Union (EU). The test is also able to detect self-reactive antibodies linked to another autoimmune condition marked…
Measuring circulating microRNAs — short RNA molecules that ultimately suppress gene activity — could offer doctors a less invasive way to monitor glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney inflammation, in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. However, the study included a small number of patients, and testing microRNAs, or miRNAs,…
Living with ANCA vasculitis or any chronic disease can feel like an endless uphill climb. The symptoms, doctor appointments, medications, and unexpected flares can take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit. Some days it’s hard to stay hopeful, let alone cheerful. But even in the hardest moments,…
In ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS), that is, the brain and spinal cord, is uncommon, but other factors may mimic CNS involvement, a study reports. These so-called mimickers can include AAV disease processes not related to the CNS, other conditions, and drug-related adverse…
Treatment with the immunosuppressants cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, or rituximab after ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients have experienced a brain bleed, or intracranial hemorrhage, is linked to better survival, according to a review of previously reported cases. “In our pooled analysis, we found that initiating [immunosuppressant] treatment after [brain bleeds] … was…
Living with chronic illness is a team effort. It’s not just the person with the diagnosis who lives with the disease; spouses, partners, children, and close friends all live with it too, in their own ways. With ANCA vasculitis, which I have, that truth becomes especially clear. The daily…
People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) affecting the kidneys who receive kidney transplants face higher long-term risks of transplant failure and death compared with those who undergo transplants for other reasons. That’s according to a study from France, which also found that the presence of ANCAs — self-reactive antibodies that…
Note: This story was updated on Aug. 6, 2025, to correct that proteinase 3 (PR3) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) are the enzymes targeted by AAV-causing antibodies. People with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis have elevated levels of certain immune-related proteins in their blood, a new study from Sweden reports. However, different…
Today I find myself thinking back to four years ago, when I was diagnosed with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. My father had died the year before, and once a week I’d spend the night at my mom’s. In part, it got me out of the house, as I was…
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