Depression is a challenging illness to manage. When I have a depressive spell, it feels like I’m stuck in a cold, gray fog with no way out. No matter what I do, I can’t see past the gloom. For the past two weeks, I’ve been lost in it. Dealing…
From fog to light: Managing depression in life with vasculitis
Treatment with rituximab has a similar efficacy to cyclophosphamide — both of them standard immunosuppressive therapies — in reducing short-time mortality in adults with life-threatening ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study in Japan found. Moreover, rituximab was associated with a significantly lower risk of fungal infections relative to cyclophosphamide. However,…
A treatment regimen that combines low-dose glucocorticoids and rituximab is just as effective at controlling ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) as a standard regimen of high-dose glucocorticoids and rituximab, according to two-year data from a clinical trial. The long-term findings indicate that, while the efficacy is comparable, the risk of serious…
Lower-than-normal counts of lymphocytes, a type of immune cell, are linked to a higher risk of severe infection in older adults with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), the most common type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a new Japanese study. In fact, the study found that “56 severe infectious…
The ANCA Renal Risk Score, known as the ARRS, was found to be better than standard methods at predicting the likelihood of kidney failure in children with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who have kidney inflammation, a study in China showed. “Our findings suggest that ARRS is an independent risk factor…
People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may present different lung involvement patterns depending on the type of disease and self-reactive antibodies driving the disease, according to a small study. Given that “the type of pulmonary involvement in AAV is important to predict prognosis and mortality as well as for treatment…
The ANCA Renal Risk Score (ARRS) — based on kidney biopsy and lab results — could accurately predict kidney failure in a large group of Scottish people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study shows. The test better discriminates the risk of kidney failure in AAV and may offer clinicians…
A low dose of intravenous or into-the-vein methylprednisolone, a corticosteroid, is as safe and effective as a high dose at preserving kidney function and extending survival in people with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a U.K. study found. Given that corticosteroids, a standard AAV treatment, are associated with significant…
A protein fragment called Ba that’s produced when the alternative complement pathway is activated is found at high levels in the urine of people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) during a kidney flare, a small study suggests. This means it may serve as a biomarker for predicting and monitoring kidney-related…
I’ve had eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a type of ANCA vasculitis, for 17 years. After my diagnosis, I had to change my life and reinvent myself. At the same time, I was grieving my life before EGPA and educating myself about my new normal.
Recent Posts
- I often can’t breathe automatically due to lung issues and AAV
- New kidney risk score shows strong predictive power in AAV study
- Half of adults with AAV have interstitial lung disease at diagnosis, study finds
- Let’s do away with pity parties and start practicing self-compassion
- Urine protein fragments may help assess kidney inflammation in AAV