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Objectives This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). That is, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), in Southern France in 2018, and evaluate differences among Europeans and non-Europeans. Methods This population-based, cross-sectional study used four sources (hospitals, community-based physicians, laboratories, National Health Insurance) to identify adults ≥15 years diagnosed with GPA, MPA or EGPA, living in Hérault and Gard in 2018. Cases were defined using the ACR/EULAR classification criteria, and if necessary, the European Medicines Agency algorithm. Prevalence estimates were standardised to the world population and capture-recapture analysis was used to assess the comprehensiveness of the estimation. The influence of geographical origin was evaluated. Results A total of 202 patients were selected, with 86 cases of GPA (42.6%), 85 cases of MPA (42.1%) and 31 cases of EGPA (15.3%). The standardised prevalence estimates per million inhabitants for 2018 were: 103 (95%CI 84–125) for AAV, 48 (95%CI 35–64) for GPA, 39 (95%CI 28–53) for MPA and 16 (95%CI 9–26) for EGPA, 36 (95%CI 25–50) for anti-PR3 positive AAV, 46 (95%CI 34–61) for anti-MPO positive AAV, and 16 (95%CI 9–26) for ANCA-negative AAV. The global estimation of comprehensiveness by capture-recapture analysis was 80.5%. The number of AAV cases was higher for non-European residents (P  = 0.001), particularly for MPA (P   <  0.0001). Conclusion We provide a new estimate of AAV prevalence in France and show a higher prevalence of MPA in non-European patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammation of unknown origin (IUO) is a challenging situation in internal medicine. Objectives: To describe the final diagnoses in IUO and assess the helpfulness of 18F‐fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computerized tomography (18F‐FDG‐PET/CT) in the diagnosis strategy. Results: A total of 317 IUO patients with 18F‐FDG‐PET/CT were enrolled. A diagnosis was reached in 228 patients: noninfectious inflammatory diseases (NIID) (37.5%), infectious diseases (18.6%), malignancies (7.9%), and non‐systemic‐inflammatory miscellaneous diseases (7.9%). The two leading causes of NIID were polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. 18F‐FDG‐PET/CT results were classified as true positive in 49.8% of patients and contributory in 75.1% of overall IUO patients (after the complete investigation set and a prolonged follow‐up). In multivariate analysis, only C‐reactive protein minimum level (≥50 mg/L) was associated with the contributory status of 18F‐FDG‐PET/CT. Conclusion: Within the wide spectrum of IUO underlying diseases, 18F‐FDG‐PET/CT is helpful to make a diagnosis and to eliminate inflammatory diseases. Obese patients constitute a specific group needing further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]