View clinical trials related to Vasculitis.
Filter by:This randomized pilot clinical trial studies how well positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) works compared to standard-of-care PET-computed tomography (CT) in diagnosing patients with cancer, cardiac diseases, or neurologic diseases. PET-MRI combines two imaging methods that can be used to evaluate disease. PET-MRI is similar to standard-of-care PET-CT, but exposes the patient to less radiation. It is not yet known whether PET-MRI produces better image quality than PET-CT in diagnosing patients with cancer, cardiac disease, or neurologic disease.
Patients with vasculitis commonly develop cardiovascular disease. The reasons for this are not clear and is not adequately treated with current drugs. It is thus understand the reasons why patients with vasculitis develop cardiovascular disease in order to develop new drugs to reduced this risk. Endothelin is a chemical produced by blood vessels that contributes to the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease Higher than normal levels of endothelin are seen in patients with vasculitis but how this contributes to cardiovascular disease in patients with vasculitis is not clear. By using drugs that block the effects of endothelin ('endothelin receptor antagonists') the investigators can hopefully reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with vasculitis. The purpose of the study is to ascertain if endothelin receptor antagonists improve blood vessel function in patients with vasculitis.
This study is a cross sectional comparison of the Color Doppler Ultrasonography (CDUS) and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) in patients diagnosed with sLVV. The supraaortic large vessels (aorta, carotid, subclavian, vertebral, and axillary arteries) and the temporal arteries of fifty patients suffering of sLVV will be examined by CDUS and MRA. The images will be evaluated by 2 blinded experts (one for CDUS and one for MRA). In addition, the intima media complex (IMC) thickness of the large vessels and temporal arteries will be measured by CDUS in 100 sex and age matched controls to the sLVV patients. Blood samples from patients and controls will be collected in order to perform genetic and cytokine analyses.
Childhood chronic vasculitis describes a group of rare life-threatening diseases that have in common inflammation of blood vessels in vital organs such as kidneys, lungs and brain. Most knowledge about them comes from adult patients. Severe disease requires aggressive life-saving treatments with steroids and some cancer drugs which can themselves cause damage, and increase risks of cancer and severe infections. Conversely, milder disease can be treated with less toxic drugs. Different classification and "scoring tools" are used to define the types and severity of vasculitis and to measure damage caused by disease or drugs. These in turn help direct how aggressively to treat a patient and to measure outcome. None of these tools however have been assessed in children and the best balance of disease and treatment risks against outcome for children is not known. Although causes of these diseases in children and adults are probably the same, the effects of the disease and the response (good and bad) to drugs will differ in growing children. Because specialists may see only one new child with vasculitis each year, obtaining enough information to learn about childhood vasculitis requires cooperation. We will use an international web-based registry to which doctors from 50 or more centers can contribute patient data. We will determine the features which help better classify and diagnose children compared to adults. Through the web we will collect and analyze information on patients similarly classified and "scored" so that most successful treatments can be identified. Children with vasculitis are less likely to have diseases associated with aging, alcohol and smoking etc., and therefore may be a better group in whom to study the underlying biology of vasculitis. We will use this opportunity and collect spit, blood and tissue from registry patients for laboratory study with an aim to find biomarkers to better classify, define and direct optimal treatment and outcomes.
Retinal vasculitis is a sight-threatening inflammation that involves the blood vessels of the retina, the tissue that lines the inside of the eye. This inflammation may occur on its own or as a result of an infectious, cancerous, or inflammatory disorder. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technology that can perform non-contact cross-sectional imaging of retinal and choroidal tissue structure in real time. It is similar to ultrasound imaging, except that OCT measures the intensity of reflected light rather than sound waves. The purpose of this study is to see if non-invasive OCT technology can diagnose retinal vasculitis as well as the more invasive fluorescein angiography, which requires an injection of dye into the vein of an arm of a patient. The study will also compare the mapping of blood vessels (angiography) and loss of blood flow (ischemia) by fluorescein angiography and OCT.
This study investigates the genetic architecture of Neutrophil-Mediated Inflammatory Skin Diseases. After collecting informed consent, all patients' clinical phenotype is graded at inclusion with a detailed case report form and a discovery cohort formed based on the certainty of diagnosis. The DNA of patients in the discovery cohort is analyzed by whole exome sequencing which identifies all protein-coding genetic variants. Subsequently, statistical burden tests are going to identify enrichment of rare coding genetic variants in patients affected by Neutrophil-Mediated Inflammatory Skin Diseases. The ultimate goal is to reveal the responsible gene(s) that may then be targets for clinical intervention.
Backgound and relevance of the project: Patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) are at increased risk of contracting infections. The increased risk can be attributed to the immunological disorder itself, as well as to the immunosuppressive treatment. Vaccination against many infections is recommended in this patient group. However, the immunogenicity of vaccines may be reduced and may also be influenced by the administered treatment. Potential reactivation of the underlying disease triggered by vaccination is another important concern. From the patients' and public health perspectives, an important task of physicians is giving advice on vaccines. Completing this task is often difficult, because data on the immunogenicity and safety of vaccines in these patient groups are scarce, especially with regard to treatment with new immunosuppressive medications, such as biological agents. Lastly and importantly, due to new therapeutic options, health among AIIRD patients has considerably improved and an increasing number of patients undertake overseas travel activities requiring additional vaccinations. In this context, reliable advice with regard to vaccinations is almost impossible, because for most travel vaccinations the immunogenicity and safety profile is unknown. Research addressing the immunogenicity and safety of vaccines in different autoimmune inflammatory diseases treated with different immunosuppressive medications is urgently needed to allow giving evidence based vaccine advice. In this observational study the immunogenicity and safety of tetanus booster and hepatitis A vaccinations will be assessed in AIIRD patients. The immune response will be evaluated as a function of the underlying disease and the possible influence of commonly used immunosuppressive drugs on the immune response will be studied. Rationale for studying tetanus booster and hepatitis A vaccine Tetanus vaccination is one of the most frequently recommended vaccinations, and the effect of a booster vaccination can be addressed. Hepatitis A vaccine is the most widely used travel vaccine. Despite their importance, only very limited data are available for tetanus and hepatitis A vaccine in this patient group. By focusing on these vaccines the study will lead the way to the evaluation of further vaccines. The purpose of this study is to determine whether tetanus and hepatitis A vaccinations are as immunogenic and safe in AIIRD patients as in healthy controls.
The goal of the study is to find biological markers (certain proteins or cellular markers found in a blood test) that will inform doctors which patients diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) are most likely to be able to stop their medications suppressing their immune systems and remain in remission.
This is a randomized controlled trial in patients with a diagnosis of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA; Wegener's)that are in remission to evaluate the effects of using low-dose glucocorticoids ( 5 mg/day of prednisone) as compared to stopping glucocorticoid treatment entirely (0 mg/day of prednisone)on rates of disease relapse/disease flares. This study is a novel approach to conducting a randomized clinical trial in the community setting. This study is being conducted in parallel with a similar study at established vasculitis institutions. This study will have a patient centric approach to research in that subjects will be recruited online and through social media and vasculitis support networks. Participants will be consented online and will receive care through their regular treating physician so no travel or additional doctor visits are required. Study participants will consent to the study and complete online questionnaires about their prednisone dose and about how they are feeling.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in various inflammatory conditions caused by bacterial infection or vasculitis. Glucose analog FDG is sensitive to detect inflammation foci but we hypothesize that other imaging agents such as PK11195 and Ga-citrate may have added value in certain applications.