Nearly one year of treatment with rituximab was superior to traditional immunosuppressive medications at helping people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) achieve remission after a severe relapse, an analysis of data from a multicenter study in Japan has found. Such superiority was not observed at six months of treatment,…

Sinonasal symptoms, as assessed with 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), a patient-reported questionnaire, are more severe when ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is active than during remission, a study shows. Sinonasal symptoms are those that affect the nose and the sinuses, that is, the air-filled cavities around the eyes and nose.

Despite high response rates to treatment strategies to reduce ear, nose, and throat involvement in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), relapses are common, a review study reports. The study, “Systemic and Local Medical or Surgical Therapies for Ear, Nose and/or Throat Manifestations in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: A Systematic Literature Review,” was…

A combination of rituximab, prednisone, and tacrolimus effectively treated a recurrence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) after a kidney transplant, a case study reported. The case highlights the importance of closely monitoring AAV patients on immunosuppressive therapy with belatacept, particularly when a kidney injury follows a kidney…

An increase in ANCA antibodies may predict a relapse within six to 12 months in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a new study. The link between an antibody rise and AAV relapse was found to be significant in patients with myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCAs, or antibodies against…

People with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) are more likely to report a greater range of symptoms than their doctors, a study that drew on patient- and physician-reported databases found, while showing similarities on other points, like relapse frequency. Given the importance of the patient perspective in both research and…

A positive anti-proteinase 3 (PR3) ANCA test, lower serum creatinine levels, and cardiovascular involvement at diagnosis appear to raise the risk of relapse in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a review study reports. When combined, these factors may predict an individual’s risk of relapse within five years after diagnosis,…

New statistical models could help to predict the risk of relapse and infection following ongoing rituximab treatment in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study suggests. These models may aid in clinical decisions about the relative risks and benefits of continuing to use rituximab beyond its customary two years…

Changes in autoantibodies that target the protein PR3 in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may help predict sustained remission following treatment, and eventual disease relapses, a study found. The research also shows that the ALBIA method, which is becoming widely…

Having persistently or recurrently high levels of ANCA antibodies is associated with a greater risk of relapse in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a recent study has found. In patients whose ANCA antibodies target the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein, a recurrent ANCA pattern was also significantly associated with…