How I Made It Through My Teenage Years With a Chronic Illness

It’s hard enough being a teenager. What’s worse is when you add a chronic illness to the equation. My particular vasculitis trajectory puts me in the minority. Many patients first show symptoms of inflammation in their 50s or 60s. But I fought for my life at 16, got…

Similar to neutrophils, immune monocyte cells play an essential role in kidney damage caused by ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study discovered. The pro-inflammatory function of monocytes was stimulated by the immune signaling protein CSF2, also called GM-CSF. Therapeutically targeting monocytes or CSF2 may be a potential new treatment strategy…

A woman developed a rare case of acute kidney failure linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) following her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report. This case adds to previous reports suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines may, in rare instances, promote the development or exacerbation of autoimmune…

Clear communication is crucial for all types of interactions. It’s the key to interpersonal relationships, business dealings, and artistic expression. But after a vasculitis diagnosis, it becomes even more imperative that a person knows how to convey their thoughts and needs. When I don’t feel well, it affects my…

Treatment with rituximab helps most adults, ages 75 and older, with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) achieve and maintain disease remission, a French study found. However, a higher rate of serious infections and deaths were reported when rituximab was used as an induction therapy, in combination with high doses of glucocorticoids,…

Excess of a particular amino acid, or protein building block, in the blood may make neutrophils — a type of white blood cell that first responds to an infection or injury — more reactive in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and large-vessel vasculitis, a study has found. The amino acid, called…

I’ve always been an avid reader, with a focus on Victorian English and American literature in my younger years. In those tales, there seemed to be a common theme of the family sending an invalid relative to the seaside to recover from a chronic illness. Often those invalids would…

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may have triggered kidney inflammation associated with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in a 52-year-old woman, according to a recent case report. “We believe that this is the first case report of AAV that occurred following adenovirus vector COVID-19 vaccine administration,” its scientists wrote. “Increasing…

Measuring the blood levels of a protein called BAFF could help predict the chances of remission after induction treatment with rituximab in people with ANCA vasculitis (AAV), according to a new study. Determining the BAFF levels in the blood also could guide further care for AAV patients, the researchers…

Nonprofits, scientists, governmental organizations, and the rare disease drug development industry have long cited 7,000 as the average number of rare diseases in the world. But a new analysis shows there are as many as 10,867 rare diseases globally. And that…