This Year, I’m Finding Balance and Appreciating the Quiet

Those of you who have followed my column for at least a year might recall my annual January tradition, called Hibernation. I treat it as a mental and physical reset, and eagerly look forward to it after the bustle of the holiday season. I began Hibernating in 2016…

An elderly woman was diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) after having an ischemic stroke, a condition wherein a blood clot cuts off blood supply to a part of the brain, a case study reported. It’s rare that AAV manifests in the central nervous system, which is made up of…

For many years, I lived with an anxiety-crippled brain from being a self-absorbed endurance athlete who had been diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis — a form of vasculitis — at a young age. That pain was almost a badge of honor. I had suffered more than most people…

Nearly one-third of adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) would choose plasma exchange regardless of varying risks of kidney failure and severe infection, according to an international study. One-fifth of patients would make that choice only in high-risk scenarios and one-sixth would reject that treatment in all scenarios, however.

The blood levels of several immune-related proteins are significantly altered in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) up to five years before they develop symptoms when compared with matched healthy people, a study showed. Changes in these protein levels were found to be involved in inflammatory and metabolic pathways, and…

Rituximab is superior to cyclophosphamide at inducing disease remission after six months in people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) — a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) — according to a study in France. Similar findings were found for subgroups of GPA patients, such as those newly diagnosed with the disease…

Up to six months of treatment with rituximab led to disease remission in about two-thirds of Japanese patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), a study found. Further, people in Japan with these two types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who were given rituximab as a…

Body image involves more than vanity. Though we often think of cosmetics and fitness as superficial, the reality is that they help us feel good about ourselves. We want to appeal to a mate, impress friends, and come off as professional to work colleagues. But everything about the physical body…

Over the past year, ANCA Vasculitis News has brought you coverage of the latest developments in research related to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). We look forward to continuing to bring you news about advances in research and treatment in the new year. Here we have compiled a list of the top…

Adding a low dose of cyclophosphamide to rituximab for remission induction was safe and more effective at preventing relapses in the first two years in people with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) than rituximab alone, a new study shows. No significant benefit was observed in the combination treatment after five years.