Project description:Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is characterized by the inflammation of small and medium vessels and presence of proteinase 3-ANCA or myeloperoxidase-ANCA in the circulation. AAV comprises three clinical subtypes: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and eosinophilic GPA (EGPA). Although the pathogenesis of AAV is still unclear, genetic and environmental factors and the immune system are thought to be involved. Genetic factors have been confirmed to play an important role in AAV. Genome-wide association studies have identified numerous genetic variants in MHC and non-MHC regions associated with AAV. The strongest evidence of MHC association in AAV is human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DP. A significant association between AAV and genetic variations in non-MHC regions, such as CTLA-4, FCGR2A, PTPN22, SERPINA1, and TLR9 has also been found. Moreover, different clinical subtypes of AAV have distinct genetic backgrounds. GPA is associated with HLA-DP1, MPA with HLA-DQ, and EGPA with HLA-DRB4. These findings could help elucidate the etiology of AAV and develop new biomarkers for diagnosis and targeted therapy. Herein, we briefly summarize the updates on the genetic pathogenesis and biomarkers of AAV.
Project description:Background/aimsWe compared the clinical and laboratory data between elderly and non-elderly patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) at diagnosis; further, we investigated the predictors at diagnosis for all-cause mortality and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurrence during follow-up in Korean elderly patients with AAV.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of 191 AAV patients regarding clinical manifestations and laboratory results at diagnosis and during follow-up. The follow-up duration was defined as the period from diagnosis to death for deceased patients or to the time of dialysis for ESRD patients, or to the last visit. Elderly (n = 67) and non-elderly (n = 124) patients were grouped based on an age threshold of 65 years.ResultsAt diagnosis, elderly patients exhibited higher median Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) and higher frequencies of ANCA positivity and pulmonary manifestations than non-elderly patients. Furthermore, elderly patients exhibited increased median white blood cell count, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alkaline phosphatase, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and decreased median hemoglobin. However, there were no significant differences in all-cause mortality and ESRD occurrence between elderly and non-elderly patients. Meanwhile, elderly patients exhibited lower cumulative patients' and ESRD-free survival rates than non-elderly patients. In the multivariable Cox hazards model, BUN, creatinine and serum albumin at diagnosis were independent predictors for ESRD occurrence, whereas there were no independent predictors at diagnosis for all-cause mortality.ConclusionElderly AAV patients exhibited substantially higher rates of all-cause mortality and ESRD occurrence during follow-up compared than non-elderly AAV patients.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To evaluate circulating cytokine profiles in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), classified by antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) specificity (proteinase 3 ANCA [PR3-ANCA] versus myeloperoxidase ANCA [MPO-ANCA]) or by clinical diagnosis (granulomatosis with polyangiitis [GPA] versus microscopic polyangiitis [MPA]). METHODS:A panel of 29 cytokines was tested in 186 patients with active AAV at inclusion into the Rituximab in AAV trial. Cytokine concentrations were compared between groups within each classification system. Multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, and renal insufficiency were performed, with each biomarker as a dependent variable and ANCA specificity and clinical diagnosis as explanatory variables of interest. RESULTS:Levels of 9 circulating cytokines (interleukin-6 [IL-6], granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF], IL-15, IL-18, CXCL8/IL-8, CCL-17/thymus and activation-regulated chemokine [TARC], IL-18 binding protein [IL-18 BP], soluble IL-2 receptor α [sIL-2Rα], and nerve growth factor β [NGFβ]) were significantly higher in PR3-AAV than MPO-AAV, 4 cytokines (sIL6R, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II [sTNFRII], neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin [NGAL], and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 [sICAM-1]) were higher in MPO-AAV than in PR3-AAV, 6 cytokines (IL-6, GM-CSF, IL-15, IL-18, sIL-2Rα, and NGFβ) were higher in GPA than in MPA, and 3 cytokines (osteopontin, sTNFRII, and NGAL) were higher in MPA than in GPA (all P < 0.05). For nearly all cytokines, the difference between PR3-AAV and MPO-AAV was larger than that between GPA and MPA. The multivariate analysis showed that 8 cytokines (IL-15, IL-8, IL-18 BP, NGF-β, sICAM-1, TARC, osteopontin, and kidney injury molecule 1 (P < 0.05) distinguished patients with AAV better (lower P values and larger effect sizes) when grouped by ANCA specificity than by clinical diagnosis. CONCLUSION:Distinct cytokine profiles were identified for PR3-AAV versus MPO-AAV and for GPA versus MPA. Differences in these circulating immune mediators are more strongly associated with ANCA specificity than with clinical diagnosis, suggesting that heterogeneity in the AAV subtypes extends beyond clinical phenotypes.
Project description:A 30-year-old woman presented with angina pectoris. Coronary angiography revealed severe stenosis in the left main and right coronary arteries that did not improve with intracoronary nitroglycerin. Coronary computed tomography angiography and positron emission tomography revealed coronary ostia inflammation and aortic root fat stranding. She was diagnosed with vasculitis and valvulitis and received immunotherapy and coronary bypass. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the reasons that complete remission is not achieved or maintained with original treatment in some patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) treated with rituximab (RTX) or with cyclophosphamide/azathioprine (CYC/AZA).MethodsThe Rituximab in AAV trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the rate of remission induction among patients treated with RTX (n = 99) and patients treated with CYC followed by AZA (n = 98). Glucocorticoids were tapered over a period of 5 months. The primary outcome measure was lack of disease activity without glucocorticoid treatment at 6 months. To determine the most important reason for failure to achieve the primary outcome, 7 hierarchical categories of reasons were defined retrospectively (uncontrolled disease, adverse event leading to therapy discontinuation, severe flare, limited flare, Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for Wegener's Granulomatosis >0, prednisone treatment at any dosage, and other).ResultsAlthough remission (lack of disease activity) was achieved in 170 of the 197 patients (86%) in the first 6 months, the primary outcome measure was not achieved in 42%. There were 3 deaths. Twenty-four percent of the patients failed to achieve the primary end point due to active disease: 10 (5%) experienced uncontrolled disease in the first month and 37 (19%) experienced flares after initial improvement. In the majority of such patients, treatment with blinded crossover or according to best medical judgment led to disease control. Ninety-one percent of patients who had uncontrolled disease or experienced a severe flare had proteinase 3 (PR3)-ANCA. When patients with uncontrolled disease were excluded from analysis, those who were PR3-ANCA positive were found to experience fewer flares when treated with RTX compared to CYC/AZA (8 of 59 [14%] versus 20 of 62 [32%]; P = 0.02). Neither ANCA titers nor B cell counts predicted disease flare.ConclusionCurrent treatment regimens are largely successful in controlling AAV, but in approximately one-fourth of patients, active disease persists or recurs in the first 6 months despite treatment. PR3-ANCA positivity is a risk factor for recurrence or persistence of severe disease. ANCA titers and B cell detectability are poor predictors of both disease relapse and disease quiescence in the first 6 months.
Project description:Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by leukocytoclastic inflammation of small blood vessels. Commonly detected autoantibodies include anti-protease 3 (PR3) and anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO). Although cell necrosis plays an important role in the production of autoantibodies and the pathogenesis of AAV, the correlation between their titers and disease activity remains elusive. As improved detection techniques facilitate early diagnosis, a satisfactory efficacy can be achieved in patients with mild to medium severe AAV treated with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. However, resistant and relapsing AAV, sometimes life-threatening, do exist in clinical practice. In-depth understanding of pathogenesis of AAV may lend novel insight into the mechanism responsible for its formation and help find effective targeted therapies for refractory patients.
Project description:ObjectiveTo explore the potential contribution of stress as a trigger for disease onset in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV).Methods53 AAV and 85 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients as well as 53 healthy controls (HC) were thoroughly asked for the number and impact of stressful life events, coping strategies, and available social support 12 months prior to disease onset. Anxiety, depression, personality dimensions, insomnia, and fatigue were also determined.ResultsAAV patients reported higher scoring of the impact of stressful life events compared to the RA and HC group prior to disease onset (2.8 ± 3.1 vs 1.8 ± 2.1 vs 1.7 ± 2.3, p-values: 0.047 and 0.053, respectively). While the number of reported stressful events was found to be significantly higher in AAV vs RA patients but not HC, certain coping strategies and social support features were more commonly implemented by AAV patients compared to HC, but not RA patients. As far as personality and other psychosocial characteristics, AAV patients displayed significantly higher psychoticism traits compared to RA, with no other differences being detected between AAV patients and both RA and HC. After adjusting for potential cofounders, scoring of the impact of stressful life events >3 was independently associated with AAV development compared to both RA and HC [ORs (95% CI): 4.6 (1.6-13.4) and 4.4 (1.0-19.0), respectively].ConclusionThe perceived impact of stressful life events prior to disease onset emerged as a contributing factor for AAV development.
Project description:ImportanceAntineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a systemic small vessel vasculitis characterized by circulating ANCAs targeting proteinase 3 (PR3) or myeloperoxidase (MPO) and associated with excess morbidity and mortality. Myeloperoxidase-ANCA-positive AAV and PR3-ANCA-positive AAV are increasingly recognized to have differences in genetic risk, pathogenesis, and response to treatment. Risk factors for AAV, including cigarette smoking, are poorly understood.ObjectiveTo examine the association between cigarette smoking and AAV.Design, setting, and participantsThis case-control study included a consecutive inception cohort of 484 patients with AAV diagnosed from 2002 to 2017 compared with a cohort of sex-, race-, and age-matched controls. Eleven cases were excluded owing to discordant smoking information in the electronic health record. Controls were randomly selected from participants recruited to the Partners HealthCare Biobank between its inception in 2010 and 2018 and who completed a smoking questionnaire and were not diagnosed with AAV (n = 30 536).ExposuresSmoking status (current, former, never) and pack-years of cigarette smoking were determined from review of the electronic medical record and smoking questionnaires.Main outcomes and measuresPatients with AAV were individually matched with 3 randomly-selected controls based on sex, race, and age (within 2 years difference). Conditional logistic regression was performed to examine the association between cigarette smoking and AAV using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsOverall, 473 cases were matched with 1419 controls (mean [SD] age, 59 [16] years; 281 women [59%], 396 white [84%]). Patients with AAV were more likely to be former (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3-2.0) or current smokers (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.8-4.1); there was a dose-response relationship according to pack-years of exposure (P < .001). These associations were especially strong among participants with MPO-ANCA-positive disease (former smokers: OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.3; current smokers: OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.1-6.1) but not in participants with PR3-ANCA-positive AAV (former smokers: OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.9-2.0; current smokers: OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.8-3.5). After stratifying by selected demographics and disease manifestations, these associations remained strong.Conclusions and relevanceCigarette smoking was associated with AAV, especially MPO-ANCA-positive AAV. Further studies are needed to investigate a potential pathogenic mechanism.
Project description:BackgroundKidney biopsy is valuable for prognostic assessment of renal outcomes in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) with glomerulonephritis (AAV-GN) but the impact of chronic changes is not determined.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of myeloperoxidase (MPO)- or proteinase 3 (PR3)-ANCA-positive patients with AAV and active renal disease. We applied the Mayo Clinic Chronicity Score (MCCS) and validated and evaluated its implications on outcome prediction in AAV-GN.ResultsWe analyzed 329 patients with kidney biopsies available to score. The extent of chronicity was graded by MCCS as minimal [102 (31.0%)], mild [106 (32.2%)], moderate [86 (26.1%)] and severe [35 (10.6%)]. The MCCS grades correlated with the degree of renal function impairment at presentation [mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 48.3 versus 29.2 versus 23.7 versus 18.5 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively; P < 0.0001]. Higher degrees of the individual components of the MCCS (glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy and arteriosclerosis) were associated with lower median eGFR (P < 0.0001) and decreased event-free [kidney failure (KF) and death] survival (P = 0.002, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 and P = 0.017, respectively). Patients with lower MCCS grades recovered renal function more frequently (P < 0.0001). Increasing MCCS grades were associated with decreased renal recovery (P = 0.001), more frequent events and shorter time to KF (P < 0.0001), KF and death (P < 0.0001) and death (P = 0.042), independent of the remission induction treatment used (cyclophosphamide or rituximab). The MCCS stratified renal outcomes for each MCCS grade and can be used in clinical practice as a cutoff for KF prediction (MCCS ≥4).ConclusionsChronic changes on kidney histology independently predict renal function, outcomes and response to treatment in AAV-GN.