Navigating the complexities of GPA vasculitis in our marriage

Jordyn, left, and Cody Blagg, five months before Jordyn’s diagnosis. (Photos courtesy of Cody Blagg) This is Cody Blagg’s story: It’s complicated. As I sit here in the emergency room with my wife, Jordyn (our favorite kind of date night), I wanted to write out the thoughts I’ve had…

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) patients with high blood levels of the inflammatory protein interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) at the onset of their disease are significantly more likely to have relapses despite treatment, a small study in Japan shows. The findings suggest IFN-gamma may serve as a biomarker to predict relapses in MPA,…

Sometimes I think back to when I first got sick and realized that not only was my chronic illness not going away, but I could no longer do my job. I was running a large nonprofit serving people with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. I loved it. We…

Fasenra (benralizumab) and Nucala (mepolizumab) appear to be equally safe and effective in helping adults with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) achieve disease remission, according to a real-world study in Europe that directly compared the two approved therapies. Still, at one year, AstraZeneca’s Fasenra was associated with…

Adding Tavneos (avacopan) to standard treatment for the two main types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) results in fewer adverse events — including a lesser number of serious side effects and infections — in adults with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or GPA, and microscopic polyangiitis, known as MPA. That’s according…

What is it with us humans? It is a curious phenomenon that we generally deem situations, interactions, gifts, successes, or help from others as valuable only if they’re epic — dismissing the baby steps, small successes, and brief connections as if they’re not substantial enough to warrant celebration. Sometimes we’re…

Elevated levels in the blood of ferritin, a protein that binds to iron and stores it for use by the body, are linked to more severe damage in people with active ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and to a poorer outlook for the kidneys, according to a new study from China.

Blood levels of a signaling molecule called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) at diagnosis may help predict poor outcomes, including kidney failure and death, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a study in South Korea. Data also showed that GDF15 levels were significantly associated with AAV…

Testing for the presence of specific self-reactive antibodies linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may help doctors more easily tell microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) from granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), the two most common types of AAV, a study showed. Classifying patients as MPA or GPA based on the different types…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have significantly higher blood levels of C4d, a protein that reflects activation of the classic or lectin complement pathways of the immune system, a study in Sweden suggests. Patients with self-reactive antibodies, called ANCAs, against the proteinase-3 (PR3) protein had significantly higher blood Cd4…