Relapses in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis: likely to begin with the same organ as initial onset.

Abstract

In antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), relapses constitute a challenge despite initial good control. Our objective was to investigate whether patients with relapses shared the same initial organ involvement. One hundred sixty patients with AAV in our center were investigated. Of these 160, 38 experienced relapse during followup. Clinical and laboratory data were analyzed. Among the 38 patients, there was a total of 55 relapse events, 39 (70.9%) of which had the same initial organ as in the initial onset. Relapses in AAV were likely to begin with the same organ as in the initial onset; this facilitates early recognition of relapses.