AAV Immunosuppressants Can Increase Risk for COVID-19 Reinfection

A case of reinfection with COVID-19 has been reported in a patient who received immunosuppressive treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), which was linked to her first infection. Before her second infection, the 70-year-old African woman was given prednisolone and cyclophosphamide to combat AAV-associated kidney damage that had occurred after her…

Levels of a protein called KL-6 are elevated in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients who have interstitial lung diseases, indicating that KL-6 blood levels could be useful for detecting lung disease in these people, a study suggests. The study, “KL-6 in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Patients with and without…

In the vasculitis community, patients often encounter uncomfortable situations. Disease symptoms plague us. Getting used to shifted routines takes some adjustment. And maybe worst of all, new medications can cause debilitating side effects. Among the various unpleasantries, one name makes even the seasoned autoimmune patient shudder with revulsion: prednisone.

A third COVID-19 vaccine dose boosts immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), researchers in Germany report. Antibodies against the virus and the ability to fight off more highly transmissible variants like delta dip over time after the second dose. But…

Classifying pulmonary manifestations in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with lung symptoms can help predict disease outcomes and determine which patients should receive more intensive treatment, a study from China suggests. For example, patients showing bleeding into the lungs (alveolar hemorrhage) in their computed tomography (CT) scan of the…

A few weeks ago, Kansas City, Missouri, got several inches of heavy snow. It happened on a Friday night, so we locals braced ourselves for a long weekend of staying in and getting cozy. (I’m in the middle of my hibernation month, so I wasn’t planning to go out…

The European Commission has approved Tavneos (avacopan) as an add-on therapy for adults with severe granulomatosis polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) — the two main types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Following the expected launch this year, Tavneos will be the first available oral therapy for…

An appropriate immune response to COVID-19 vaccines among people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with rituximab seems to be dependent on the number of B-cells, a study found. The study, “B cell numbers predict humoral and cellular response upon SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among patients…

Young people like to ask each other, “If you were an animal, what animal would you be?” My answer is a grizzly bear. They’re powerful and majestic. They sit at the top of the food chain in their habitat. And most intriguingly, they eat for half…

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an immunosuppressant, may sustain remission more efficiently than other therapies in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients who have kidney symptoms, a review of clinical trials found. The findings showed that, in clinical trials enrolling only patients with kidney involvement, more than 90% were estimated to maintain…