2. What is ANCA vasculitis
• ANCA vasculitis is an autoimmune disease, causing inflammation of blood
vessels caused by white blood cells attacking neutrophils. It is rare condition.
ANCA’s target neutrophils, causing inflammation and damage to small blood
vessels.
Types of ANCA vasculitis
• Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA)
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, previously called Wegener’s
• Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA, previously called Churg-Strauss)
3. Signs and Symptoms
• ANCA vasculitis affects any body part,
causing general symptoms like fever, body
aches, joint pain, decreased appetite, and
weight loss.
• Organ-specific symptoms include blood in
urine, foamy urine, high blood pressure,
and kidney dysfunction.
• Lungs, eyes, ears, and skin irritation.
Patient may have trouble breathing,
experience coughing, and have chest pain
while hearing loss may occur.
• Laboratory tests:
Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF): identifies
through staining patterns within neutrophils.
Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA): To
identify targeted proteins (MPO & PR3) in
neutrophils.
Kidney function Tests: to assess potential impact
as kidney involvement is very common.
• Clinical tests:
Chest X-rays
Tissue biopsy
Diagnosis
4. Treatment
Currently, there's no cure for ANCA vasculitis, but treatments are available to manage it. The goal of
treatment is to achieve and maintain a symptom-free period known as remission. The severity and
type of ANCA vasculitis determine the treatment approach.
Common treatments include:
• Glucocorticoids (e.g. prednisolone) are anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce immune-driven
inflammation and related damage.
• Maintenance therapies use immunosuppressants to reduce the immune response. Common ones
are azathioprine and methotrexate.
• In cases not responding to these, options like Arava (leflunomide) and CellCept (mycophenolate
mofetil) can be combined with glucocorticoids.
• Azathioprine is often used to maintain remission in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis
(EGPA).
• Methotrexate can be combined with other treatments to induce remission in mild non-organ-
threatening cases.
Regular consultation with medical professionals is essential for proper treatment planning.
5. References
1. Vasculitis UK. (n.d.). What is ANCA? [online] Available at:
https://www.vasculitis.org.uk/about-vasculitis/what-is-anca# [Accessed 14 Aug.
2023].
2.
