Inflammatory Protein, PTX3, May Be Potential AAV Diagnostic Biomarker

Significantly high levels of the inflammatory protein pentraxin-3 (PTX3) were found in the bloodstream and urine of people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), particularly those with kidney involvement, a study revealed. Unlike C-reactive protein (CRP), a widely used inflammatory biomarker, PTX3 correlated with standard measures of AAV disease activity before…

Infliximab successfully led to the remission of respiratory symptoms in a 15-year-old boy with steroid-resistant granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a case report. More studies are needed to determine the treatment’s safety profile in children, the researchers noted. The report, “…

Antimicrobial webs produced by neutrophils — immune cells that respond quickly to bodily injury — may be implicated in the development of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) accompanied by lung scarring (fibrosis), a recent review of several published studies revealed. These webs of DNA and antimicrobial proteins are known as neutrophil…

Stellate ganglion block, a procedure where a pain-relieving medicine is injected into the neck to block certain nerves, might be a successful therapeutic approach for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a recent case study suggests. The procedure helped control symptoms and lower corticosteroid doses, which are associated with detrimental…

Compared with standard glucocorticoid regimen, a reduced-dose regimen may lower the risk of death and serious infections, while not increasing the risk of kidney failure, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a review study. No major differences between regimens were detected in terms of disease remission, relapse,…

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Norman Vincent Peale In a vasculitis lifestyle, shooting for the moon could mean hoping for a cure. We know it’s unrealistic to expect one so soon — after all, the group of disorders has only been…

Adding plasma exchange to standard treatment reduces the risk of kidney failure after one year, but does not improve survival in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a review study reports. Plasma exchange was also associated with an increased risk of serious infections — a previously unrecognized effect that may explain…

March, which is Autoimmune Awareness Month, involves sliding into spring, a time of year that coincidentally reflects an autoimmune condition: shifting, transitional, and unpredictable. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks itself. The very organs that are supposed to keep the body safe become so overactive…

Healthcare providers involved in diagnosing and treating rare diseases believe that increased physician education and collaboration with specialized facilities will have the greatest positive impact on treating these conditions over the next five years, according to results from a 2021 survey. Definitive Healthcare, a healthcare commercial intelligence company, conducted…

The body’s complement system — comprised of blood proteins that fight infection — is specifically activated in individuals with microscopic polyangiitis and ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with myeloperoxidase (MPO) antibodies years before a patient’s symptoms begin, new research shows. “These findings support differential pathogenic [disease-causing] mechanisms behind” these two AAV…