AAV Can Cause Muscle Weakness, With Diagnosis Requiring Biopsy, Case Study Reports

Muscle weakness may be an under-recognized symptom of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) with diagnosis likely requiring a biopsy of the muscle itself, a case report has found. The report, titled “Severe proximal muscle weakness with normal CK as a presenting feature of ANCA-associated vasculitis,”…

A family history of cardiovascular disease and higher vasculitis disease activity are risk factors for fatal and non-fatal cardiac disease in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, a study suggests.  The study, “Predictors of fatal and non-fatal…

Kidney transplantation is safe and effective for treating children with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who develop serious kidney problems as a result of their disease, a long-term study in Japan suggests. The transplant successfully prevented the return of AAV-related kidney damage in seven children over a median of seven years,…

ChemoCentryx has secured a credit facility of up to $100 million from Hercules Capital to support the upcoming costs of its new drug application (NDA) for avacopan, its investigational treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and the therapy’s commercial launch, if approved. The $100 million credit will be divided into…

People with anti‑neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)‑associated vasculitis (AAV) who have high levels of cellular microparticles in their blood may be at higher risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), a life-threatening blood-clotting condition, a recent study suggests. A 10% increase…

The presence of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus was not associated with a higher relapse rate of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a recent study suggests. These results challenge the idea that use of certain antibiotics may prevent AAV relapses, the researchers said. Titled “No evident association of nasal…

Older adults with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have an overall good prognosis, with a high long-term survival rate, a recent study suggests. Higher frailty scores and elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, were identified as factors associated with mortality. The study, “Long-term outcomes…

Maintenance therapy with Rituxan (rituximab) is superior to standard care with azathioprine for preventing disease relapses in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who had achieved remission, results of a Phase 3 trial suggest. These data were disclosed in an oral presentation, titled “A Randomized,…

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) — DNA specific to mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses — may be used as a urinary biomarker of kidney damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a Chinese study. The study, “Urinary mitochondrial DNA is a useful biomarker for assessing kidney injury…

An instrument that assesses the nutritional status of individuals can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, a study suggests. The study, “Controlling Nutritional Status Score is Associated with All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis,” was published in the…