Vasculitis and Giant Cell Arteritis News

A 27-year-old women presents to the office with a 5-week history of purulent nasal secretions, diffuse joint pains and a nonproductive cough. She takes no medications and her family history is negative.

A higher rate of infection and infection-related mortality was found during the first year of diagnosis for giant cell arteritis, according to recent research published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Results from this study indicated aneurysm size did not predict aortic dissection or rupture in patients with giant cell arteritis and that active inflammation may be a factor in the higher frequency of active aortitis in patients with dissection.

LONDON — At the EULAR Annual Congress, John H. Stone, MD, MPH, spoke about the GiACTA study which looked at tocilizumab for the treatment of giant cell arteritis.

An international task force representing EULAR, the European Renal Association and the European Vasculitis Society recently released updated recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Cerebrovascular disease and cardiovascular disease were more likely to develop among patients with giant cell arteritis compared to matched controls, according to results.

ChemoCentryx Inc. received Priority Medicines designation from the European Medicines Agency for CCX168 for the treatment of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Researchers of this study used total immunoglobulin G and B cell counts to identify the risk of infection for patients with systemic vasculitis in remission.

Genentech announced positive results from its phase 3 study that evaluated tocilizumab in patients with giant cell arteritis.

ChemoCentryx Inc. announced use of orally administered complement 5a receptor inhibitor CCX168 in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis yielded positive results compared with the standard care of high-dose chronic steroids.