Researchers have proposed a new cut-off value for blood levels of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) to improve the accuracy of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) diagnosis. Using this cut-off value, researchers could accurately distinguish AAV from other diseases also characterized by inflammation and damage to small blood vessels. “This study provides a…
New ANCA cut-off value may aid accuracy of AAV diagnosis
Argenx is planning to launch a proof-of-concept clinical trial later this year to test its therapy efgartigimod, approved to treat another autoimmune disease, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Data from proof-of-concept studies can help companies and their researchers decide whether to develop a medicine for a specific…
May is Vasculitis Awareness Month and this year there are plenty of ways to get involved and raise awareness about the disease under the slogan “Navigating the unknown: You are not alone.” To help people stay engaged throughout the campaign, the Vasculitis Foundation has assembled an interactive calendar…
Daratumumab helped in the remission of severe lung and skin symptoms in a young man with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA–associated vasculitis (AAV), scientists in Germany report. An immunotherapy approved to treat multiple myeloma (sold as Darzalex), daratumumab was added after the patient failed to respond…
Different types of disease-driving antibodies tend to associate with different symptoms of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), the rarest form of ANCA-associated vasculitis. That’s according to the study “Spectrum of ANCA-specificities in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. A retrospective multicenter study,” published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology.
Urine levels of scarring, inflammation, and kidney damage biomarkers accurately reflect kidney biopsy results and predict kidney outcomes in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a pilot study suggests. According to its researchers, noninvasive urine tests could be used to monitor tissue or functional changes in the kidneys. Also, urinary…
The incidence of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in southern Sweden was stable over a 23-year period, while its prevalence, the total number of cases overall, increased, a study showed. Stable incidence, or the same number of new cases per year, with a higher prevalence “might indicate better management and treatment…
A specific variant in both copies of the gene that codes for proteinase 3 (PR3) — one of the most common targets of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV)-driving antibodies — is linked to a nearly five times higher risk of severe relapse in people with PR3-associated AAV, a study found. While…
Women carrying a genetic mutation dubbed rs9274619 have a significantly higher risk of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) associated with antibodies against myeloperoxidase (MPO) than men, a new study shows. Among MPO-AAV patients, this mutation was linked to a greater likelihood of eye involvement and a lower risk of lung involvement.
Maintenance therapy with immunosuppressive agents such as rituximab and azathioprine do not increase the frequency of serious infections beyond what’s expected in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a new review study. Regardless of the medication used, fatal infections were uncommon during the maintenance therapy period, data…
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