Giant-cell arteritis and Takayasu’s arteritis are both large-vessel vasculitides, but each brings its own diagnostic and management challenges. Many of the difficulties overlap because they are rare, heterogeneous, and lack perfect diagnostic tests or specific biomarkers.

Sunday’s vasculitis session at RNL26 was a fantastic update on inflamed blood vessels, large and small, by two experts in the field: rheumatologist Dr. Mike Putman and dermatopathologist Dr. Clay Cockerell.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and regulatory news from this past week on RheumNow.com

The FDA has requested that Amgen voluntarily withdraw avacopan (Tavneos), a treatment for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, but the company said it has no plans to pull the drug from the market.

A retrospective cohort study of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) demonstrates relapses are common and seen in nearly half of patients, were common after treatment is stopped and is not effectively averted by methotrexate (MTX).

The The Tocilizumab in Giant Cell Arteritis Spanish Collaborative Group studied giant cell arteritis with aortitis, comparing the efficacy of intravenous vs. subcutaneously (SC) tocilizumab (TCZ) - demonstrating the superiority of SC TCZ.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and reports from the past two weeks on RheumNow.Com

Dejaco and colleagues have published a glossary of terms often used in conjunction with giant cell arteritis. The glossary of definitions for 23 signs and symptoms of GCA was developed through a consensus process involving international experts.

A current systematic review in Rheumatology addresses the clinical features seen in the VEXAS syndrome.