Hemoglobin Levels Predict Course of AAV-Related Kidney Disease

Hemoglobin Levels Predict Course of AAV-Related Kidney Disease

Intensive care stays are more likely if oxygen-carrying hemoglobin levels are low at hospital admission in adults with kidney disease caused by ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), an analysis of medical records found. Severe kidney injury was the primary reason for intensive care unit (ICU) admission in these patients and associated…

Higher Healthcare Costs in Year Before Diagnosis, Analysis Finds

In the year before being diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), Medicare beneficiaries had significantly higher use and costs of healthcare than those without AAV, an analysis found. According to researchers, earlier identification of AAV is necessary to provide patients with appropriate care and potentially reduce costs and healthcare use.

Dental Surgery Unexpectedly Triggered My Past Medical Trauma

Once you’ve lived many years with a disorder as stressful as vasculitis, it’s both harder and easier to endure routine medical procedures. A couple weeks ago, I encountered severe dental issues. I never had my wisdom teeth taken out as a young adult, and they were enacting their revenge.

S. aureus Infections in the Nose Not Tied to Ear, Nose, and Throat Disease

Nasal Staphylococcus aureus infections don’t appear to influence disease activity in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with ear, nose, and throat involvement, a study suggests. Treatment with antibiotics to clear S. aureus infections didn’t reduce disease activity either. “Our study shows no difference in systemic and local disease activity between…

Cemiplimab Partially Treats Skin Cancer in Man With AAV

An 87-year-old man with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), kidney disease and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSSC) — a type of skin cancer — partially responded to cemiplimab treatment without developing kidney complications or immune-related side effects. However, his response to cemiplimab was delayed as the tumor initially grew,  but regressed…

Half of AAV Patients in Study Develop Poor Long-Term Outcomes

Half of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) developed a poor long-term outcome — kidney disease, cancer or death — in the years after their diagnosis, according to a recent study in China. Impaired kidney filtration, low blood potassium, older age, and kidney or heart involvement at diagnosis were among…