A seasonal reminder to thank the loved ones who walk beside us

As we move through this season of gratitude — along with the stress, pressure, and emotional noise that often comes with the holidays — I find myself reflecting on the people who help us navigate this unpredictable, exhausting, and frequently overwhelming disease that is ANCA-associated vasculitis. Living with…

Older age, being male, smoking history, and having self-reactive antibodies targeting the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein are significantly associated with a higher risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). That’s according to a review and meta-analysis study, which also showed that certain imaging signs of…

Physicians experienced in treating ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) generally agree on which disease manifestations are driven by granulomas, or clusters of immune cells, according to a survey study. Such manifestations included masses on the lungs or behind the eye socket, narrowing of the airways below the vocal cords, and…

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who test positive for a staining pattern of self-reactive antibodies called cytoplasmic ANCA (C-ANCAs) are nearly five times more likely to have bleeding into the lungs’ air sacs, known as alveolar hemorrhage, a study found. C-ANCA is marked by the presence of ANCAs —…

I got a COVID-19 vaccine this week. It was the first one I’ve had since going off Rituxan (rituximab), and wow, it kicked my butt. It reminded me just how effective Rituxan is at wiping out the immune system, because without it, my little overactive system went into full overdrive.

In people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), those with skin or heart involvement have significantly higher blood levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), a type of natural antibody frequently linked to EGPA, a study showed. Testing positive for the self-reactive antibodies ANCAs against the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein tended to…

A protein known as NGAL — fully, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin — appears to be a marker of disease activity and kidney damage severity in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who have kidney inflammation, according to new research by scientists in China. The team found that “in active AAV, [blood]…

Two Phase 1/2 clinical trials testing NKX019 — Nkarta’s cell therapy candidate — are now enrolling participants to test a second, higher dose in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and other autoimmune conditions. The Ntrust-2 study (NCT06733935) is enrolling up to 144 people with AAV, idiopathic inflammatory…

Most people who test positive for ANCAs — the self-reactive antibodies that drive most ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) cases — have pauci-immune glomerulonephritis (GN), a type of inflammation of the kidneys’ filtering units, a study found. A high number of blood-clotting-inducing platelets, high blood levels of the inflammatory marker…

One of the guiding principles I’ve come to embrace in my life is something that might sound counterintuitive in our fast-paced world: underscheduling. For most of my life, I’ve been the kind of person who packs my days too full — committing to too many tasks, leaving little margin for…