COVID-19 and ANCA-associated vasculitis: recommendations for vaccine preparedness and the use of rituximab.

COVID-19 and ANCA-associated vasculitis - recommendations for vaccine preparedness and the use of rituximab

Plasma exchange and glucocorticoid dosing in the treatment of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody associated vasculitis (PEXIVAS): protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, Wegener's) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) are small vessel vasculitides collectively referred to as anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). AAV is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality due to uncontrolled disease and treatment toxicity. Small randomized trials suggest adjunctive plasma exchange may improve disease control, while observational evidence suggests that current oral glucocorticoid doses are associated with severe infections in patients with AAV. A randomized study of both plasma exchange and glucocorticoids is required to evaluate plasma exchange and oral glucocorticoid dosing in patients with AAV. METHODS/DESIGN: PEXIVAS is a two-by-two factorial randomized trial evaluating adjunctive plasma exchange and two oral glucocorticoid regimens in severe AAV. Five hundred patients are being randomized at centers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia to receive plasma exchange or no plasma exchange, and to receive standard or reduced oral glucocorticoid dosing. All patients receive immunosuppression with either cyclophosphamide or rituximab. The primary outcome is the time to the composite of all-cause mortality and end-stage renal disease.PEXIVAS is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (UK), the Food and Drug Administration (USA), the National Institutes of Health (USA), the Canadian Institute of Health Research (Canada), the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), and Assistance Publique (France). Additional in-kind supplies for plasma exchange are provided by industry partners (TerumoBCT, Gambro Australia, and Fresenius Australia). DISCUSSION: This is the largest trial in AAV undertaken to date. PEXIVAS will inform the future standard of care for patients with severe AAV. The cooperation between investigators, funding agencies, and industry provides a model for conducting studies in rare diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials: (ISRCTN07757494) and clinicaltrials.gov: (NCT00987389).RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Should We Still Use Therapeutic Plasma Exchange for Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis in ANCA Associated Vasculitis?

For over thirty-five years, available data suggested that therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) was a useful treatment for patients with Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis (RPGN) associated with ANCA Associated Vasculitis (AAV) and elevated creatinine levels. The publication of the PEXIVAS study has challenged this conclusion. This perspective will outline the history of this issue and present our assessment of the current status

Plasma exchange in ANCA-associated vasculitis : the pro position

Plasma exchange (PLEX) is capable of removing significant amounts of circulating antibodies. In anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, PLEX was reserved for patients with severe presentation forms such as rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and pulmonary haemorrhage. The Plasma Exchange and Glucocorticoids in Severe ANCA-Associated Vasculitis (PEXIVAS) trial included all comers with a glomerular filtration rate <50 mL/min/1.73 m2 and thus aimed to answer the question of whether PLEX is an option for patients with no relevant kidney function impairment or not. PEXIVAS revealed that after a follow-up of almost 3 years, routine administration of PLEX does not provide an additional benefit to reduce the rate of a composite comprising end-stage kidney disease or death. In the absence of histological parameters, it is tempting to speculate whether PLEX is effective or not in those with a potential for renal recovery. A subset of patients presented with alveolar haemorrhage, and there was a trend towards a better outcome of such cases receiving PLEX. This would be in line with observational studies reporting a recovery of alveolar haemorrhage following extracorporeal treatment. In this PRO part of the debate, we highlight the shortcomings of the PEXIVAS trial and stimulate further research paths, which in our eyes are necessary before abandoning PLEX from the therapeutic armamentarium

Plasma Exchange for Renal Vasculitis and Idiopathic Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Plasma exchange may be effective adjunctive treatment for renal vasculitis. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials of plasma exchange for renal vasculitis. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of manuscripts identified from electronic databases, bibliographies, and studies identified by experts. Data was abstracted in parallel by two reviewers. SETTING & POPULATION: Adults with idiopathic renal vasculitis or rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES: Randomized controlled trials that compared standard care with standard care plus adjuvant plasma exchange in adult patients with either renal vasculitis or idiopathic rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. INTERVENTION: Adjuvant plasma exchange OUTCOME: Composite of end-stage renal disease or death. RESULTS: We identified 9 trials including 387 patients. In a fixed-effects model the pooled relative risk of end-stage renal disease or death was 0.80 for patients treated with adjunctive plasma exchange compared to standard care alone (95% confidence interval 0.65 to 0.99; p=0.04). No significant heterogeneity was detected (p=0.5; I(2)=0%). The effect of plasma exchange did not differ significantly across the range of baseline serum creatinine values (p=0.7) or number of plasma exchange treatments (p=0.8). The relative risk for end-stage renal disease was 0.64 (95% confidence interval 0.47 to 0.88; p=0.006) while the relative risk for death alone was 1.01 (95% confidence interval 0.71 to 1.4; p=0.9). LIMITATIONS: Although the primary result was statistically significant, there is insufficient statistical information to reliable determine if plasma exchange reduces the composite of end-stage renal disease or death. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma exchange may reduce the composite endpoint of end-stage renal disease or death in renal vasculitis. Further trials are required given the limited data available