A tribute to my late furry care partner and the healing power of pets

Our sweet cat, Sammie Cooper, died suddenly a few weeks ago. So this is a sad column, but it’s also an ode to a particular kind of care partner: the kind with fur. She came to us 13 years ago from a shelter in Tucson, Arizona. We figured she was…

People with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) waited a median of nearly four years from their first recorded major sign of the disease to diagnosis, and most received prescriptions for oral glucocorticoids and/or immunosuppressants, a real-world study in England shows. Also, in a 486-patient group followed from diagnosis, more…

Nearly half of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients treated with rituximab developed hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG), or low blood levels of antibodies, according to a population-based Swedish study. While antibodies normally help fight infections, the occurrence of HGG was not associated with an increased risk of severe infections among rituximab-treated patients…

Living with ANCA-associated vasculitis forces us to redefine a lot of things, including our energy, our expectations, and our sense of normal. But one of the most important and sometimes overlooked things we have to redefine is what we consider “good enough.” Because when it comes to our health…

The ANCA-associated vasculitis Patient-Reported Outcome (AAV-PRO) questionnaire captures physical, social, emotional, and symptom-related burdens that are closely linked to difficulties in daily life but are not always reflected in physician assessments. That’s according to a study in Germany that used the German-language version of the AAV-PRO questionnaire, which had…

Measuring urine levels of two proteins in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and kidney involvement independently predicted their risk of progression to kidney failure, according to a new study from China. The researchers found that noninvasive testing of trehalase and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), two highly sensitive urinary biomarkers,…

At a recent medical conference, a concept came up that’s worth unpacking for anyone navigating ANCA-associated vasculitis: minimal symptom expression, or MSE. It was presented as a way clinicians assess whether a disease is controlled or in remission. On the surface, it sounds promising — who wouldn’t want…

Certain T-cells may show excessive activity in a signaling pathway called STAT3-PIM1 in people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) who test positive for antibodies against proteinase 3 (PR3-GPA), according to a new study. Researchers aimed to identify unique activity patterns in T-cells containing the CD4 protein marker (CD4+ T-cells),…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with, or observations of, several medications. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I have eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) that is not indicated…

Long-term treatment with Nucala (mepolizumab) was linked to systemic disease remission in more than 90% of people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in a real-world study in Italy, but sinonasal disease often persisted. Sinonasal manifestations affect the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, the air-filled spaces within…