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Extending the Indications for Rituximab in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis.
N Engl J Med. 2014 Nov 6;371(19):1839-1840
Authors: Jayne D
Abstract
The antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides are rare, multisystem autoimmune disorders that cause irreversible injury to affected organs, especially the kidneys and respiratory tract. Therapy suppresses but does not cure the disease - in most patients, disease control is achieved by 3 to 6 months, but more than half of patients subsequently have a relapse. Current evidence supports the use of azathioprine or methotrexate, with or without glucocorticoids, as relapse-prevention agents. However, these agents have limited efficacy, and patients continue to accrue treatment-related complications.(1) The risk of relapse is highest in granulomatous polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis), in association . . .
PMID: 25372093 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]