Rituximab Effective as Maintenance Therapy in Older AAV Patients

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…

Summer is a fun time of year. Spirits are high, the pool is open, and the social calendars are full. Without the burden of driving in inclement weather, it’s simpler to go about our daily routine. In the Midwest, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who prefers the…

Increased insulin resistance — measured by the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index — may predict which people diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are at a greater risk of developing heart problems, a study found. Its predictive power may come from its association with metabolic disease at AAV diagnosis, data showed.

Levels of the immune signaling molecule interleukin-21 (IL-21) and the cells that produce the protein were elevated in the blood of people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with myeloperoxidase (MPO) antibodies, a study found. IL-21 levels also were linked to higher MPO levels and disease activity, suggesting its direct involvement in…

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