Minimal Glucocorticoid Regimen Shows Similar Efficacy, Fewer Adverse Events than Standard Treatments, Study Reports

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) who receive a minimal glucocorticoid treatment along with Rituxan (rituximab) and cyclophosphamide show similar improvement as those given standard glucocorticoid regimens, but have lower glucocorticoid-associated adverse events, a study shows. The study, “A novel glucocorticoid-free maintenance regimen for anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody–associated vasculitis,” was published…

Muscle weakness may, in rare cases, be a presenting symptom of ANCA-associated vasculitis, and a muscle biopsy should be considered in these cases to confirm a diagnosis, a case report suggests. The report, “Muscle weakness as a presenting symptom in ANCA-associated vasculitis,” appeared in the European…

The presence of atypical ANCA antibodies in people with underlying eye inflammatory disease is not linked to severe vessel inflammation or worse outcomes, a small study reports. The study, “Atypical Perinuclear Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies in Ocular Inflammatory Diseases,” was published in the journal Ocular Immunology and Inflammation. ANCA-associated…

Patients with small-vessel vasculitides, including ANCA-associated vasculitis, are more likely to need aggressive treatments or to die in the intensive care unit (ICU) than patients with other systemic autoimmune diseases, a Polish study has found. However, after discharge from the ICU, mortality rates are similar for both groups of patients,…

Most patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) test positive for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) in sputum samples, even if they show no signs of them in their blood, researchers from Canada and the United States found. These patients have more severe lung involvement, the study shows, suggesting that measuring…

Patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are more likely to exhibit severe disease and experience poor kidney outcomes if they have low levels of the C3 complement protein at diagnosis, a study found. Researchers said the findings will help doctors identify AAV patients with severe disease and select appropriate treatment at…

More than 700 medical experts, pharmaceutical executives, patient advocates, and others are expected to converge on Washington, D.C., next month for the 2018 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. The Oct. 15-16 event, sponsored by the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD), takes place at the…

A patient taking Imuran (azathioprine) to treat his ANCA-associated vasculitis experienced an acute allergic reaction to the therapy which manifested as a kidney inflammation. Researchers should be aware of this complication to promptly distinguish disease relapse from acute reactions to the medicine. The case report, “Azathioprine-induced interstitial nephritis…

In patients with interstitial lung disease, cigarette smoking may sometimes cause the production of ANCA associated antibodies — a hallmark of ANCA-associated vasculitis — without any signs of vessel inflammation, the case of a 57-year-old man suggests. The case report, “Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema with myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody…

Alterations in the nasal cavity mucosa and throat often are primary symptoms of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and it is critical that otolaryngologists are aware of the disease’s head and neck manifestations, researchers say. In a case report, Mayo Clinic researchers highlight some common endoscopic and radiologic findings seen…