Vasculitis and Giant Cell Arteritis News

A substantial proportion of patients who received tocilizumab for giant cell arteritis for 1 year remain in drug-free remission throughout the 2 years after ceasing therapy, according to data published in The Lancet Rheumatology.

COVID-19 positivity, older age at onset, and the presence of myocarditis are more common with multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children than with Kawasaki disease, according to data published Pediatric Rheumatology.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease, but especially those with autoimmune conditions, as well as those treated with rituximab, may be at greater risk for severe COVID-19 pneumonia than the general population, according to data.

COVID-19 is more severe, with more complications and higher mortality, than influenza among patients with autoimmune disease, according to data published in Rheumatology.

The Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance has developed consensus treatment plans for remission‐induction and remission‐maintenance of severe pediatric antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

The mortality rate of patients with giant cell arteritis increased from 50 deaths per 1,000 in 2000 to 57.6 per 1,000 in 2018, while mortality among the general population declined, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

The final episode summarizes the human data on complement in ANCA vasculitis, with a quick discussion of the trials of C5a receptor antagonism.

Moderate and high disease activity, as well as the use of immunosuppressants, were associated with a higher risk for COVID-related death in patients with rheumatic diseases, according to data in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Avacopan is superior to prednisone taper in preventing relapse in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis at 1 year, and is at least as effective as steroids in controlling the disease at 6 months, according to data.

Patients’ response to anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1 checkpoint therapy for advanced melanoma, and their incidence of immune-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher, were similar regardless of preexisting autoimmune disease, according to data.