IBD diagnosis often comes before AAV, study finds

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a chronic disease where the bowel becomes inflamed, causing recurring lower abdominal pain and diarrhea — can overlap with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and is often diagnosed first, a study found. The finding suggests a possible link between the two diseases, and that having IBD…

Symptoms and disease manifestations of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), are generally similar between patients with and without ANCAs, the self-reactive antibodies that drive most AAV cases. That’s according to a study analyzing data from a registry of people with vasculitis, or…

Sinonasal manifestations — those encompassing the nose and the paranasal sinuses, or the air-filled cavities around the nose — in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) vary among patients, based on disease activity and duration. That’s according to a small, retrospective study of GPA patients with sinonasal manifestations seen at a…

About 1 in every 5 people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), at some point in life, may experience problems that keep the thyroid gland from making the right amount of hormones, with these problems most often developing within five years of an AAV diagnosis, a large study found. While…

Christine MacFadyen’s symptoms appeared 15 years ago, and she was diagnosed five years ago. (Photos courtesy of Christine MacFadyen) This is Christine MacFadyen’s story: I was a fun-loving, always smiling, energetic, adventurous woman. I was only 24 and had just graduated with my college degree in early childhood care…

High blood levels of the protein CX3CL1, a pro-inflammatory immune signal that appears to be associated with blood vessel inflammation, can accurately discriminate microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) patients with active disease from those without, a study found. Importantly, high CX3CL1 levels were found to increase the…

Sarah Wellings, left, smiles with Isla Bell before her ANCA vasculitis diagnosis. (Photos courtesy of Sarah Wellings) This is Sarah Wellings’ story: Last night I dreamed I was running again. It seems my running days are over. Don’t get me wrong, I was no athlete when I was healthy,…

Jennifer Feinson Destours is an American with ANCA vasculitis living in Paris. This photo was taken two years post-diagnosis. (Photos courtesy of Jennifer Feinson Destours) This is Jennifer Feinson Destours’ story: My life has often been fantasized, the subject of envy. It sounds great, doesn’t it? An American moves…

AstraZeneca’s Fasenra (benralizumab), which is approved for a rare type of asthma, led to clinical remission in up to 70% of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) patients taking the therapy off-label in the real-world setting. The therapy was also associated with a reduced daily dose of oral…

Rob Nelson explores Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada, in fall 2021. (Photos courtesy of Rob Nelson) This is Rob Nelson’s story: Receiving a vasculitis diagnosis has a dramatic effect physically, emotionally, and socially on both those with the disease and their families. Like many conditions,…