A large proportion of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis discontinue treatment while in remission, but they appear to have fewer relapses than those who never stopped treatment, a study has found. This suggests that, as long as patients and physicians remain in touch to identify relapses, patients in remission may…
Tumors in the thymus can lead to a malfunction of the immune system, and cause the appearance of ANCA-associated vasculitis, a case report suggests. However, the association is rare, and more cases are needed to establish a line of treatment. The study, “Microscopic polyangiitis associated with thymic tumor:…
Lupus nephritis patients positive for ANCA antibodies show mixed symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus and ANCA-associated vasculitis, culminating in aggressive kidney disease that does not respond well to remission-inducing therapies, a case report suggests. The study, “Rapid progression to end‐stage renal disease in a young female with mixed…
With an estimated 1.37 billion inhabitants, India will likely surpass China in five years as the world’s most populous country. That also means it will have more rare-disease patients than any nation. It already has more than twice as many as the 28-member European Union. Harsha K. Rajasimha, a genomics…
A new test that recognizes anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) targeting proteins other than myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase-3 (PR-3) could improve the diagnosis and classification of ANCA-associated vasculitis, a study suggests. The study, “ANCA Beyond MPO & PR-3: the Clinical Utility of an Expanded ANCA Profile,” was recently presented at…
The levels of two molecules in the blood — eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and interleukin-5 (IL-5) — reflect eosinophil activation in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a study shows. As a result, these molecules may be used as markers to determine disease activity in EGPA patients and distinguish…
Genentech‘s Rituxan (rituximab) is safe and effective to induce and maintain remission in patients with refractory or relapsing granulomatous manifestations (inflamed tissue) due to granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), according to a new study. The findings were presented at the recent 19th International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,…
While breathing difficulties in ANCA-associated vasculitis patients are often a symptom of worsening vasculitis in their lungs, doctors should also consider cardiac valve involvement — or damage to heart valves — as a possible cause, a case report suggests. The study, “Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) Associated Vasculitis Causes Aortic…
Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy – which essentially consists on pooled antibodies from a thousand or more blood donors – could be a promising way of treating MPO-positive ANCA-associated vasculitis patients, an early study suggests. In a rat model of the disease, this therapy lowered the number of anti-MPO antibodies, reduced neutrophil traps –…
Some patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) produce antibodies against antimicrobial traps that may partly explain why these traps are capable of withstanding normal degradation, a study says. The study, “The presence of anti-neutrophil extracellular trap antibody in patients with microscopic polyangiitis,” was published in the journal Rheumatology.
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