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Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, predominantly the salivary and lacrimal glands, leading to sicca symptoms. Patients may have extraglandular disease involving multiple organs, including the kidneys. 5% of patients with pSS can have renal involvement. Kidney disease in pSS presents a diagnostic challenge, as clinical symptoms are often insidious and can precede sicca symptoms. pSS affects the kidney through lymphocytic infiltration of renal tubules or immune complex deposition, leading to an array of clinical features. Tubulointerstitial nephritis is the most common histological pattern of kidney disease. Other tubular injuries include renal tubular acidosis with hypokalaemia, Fanconi’s syndrome and diabetes insipidus. Glomerular disease is less common and typically involves an immune complex-mediated process. Optimal treatment for kidney diseases in pSS is not established, and treatment is guided by the pattern of disease. For tubulointerstitial nephritis, management involves electrolyte imbalance correction and the use of immunosuppression, including steroids. Treatment of glomerular disease is targeted to the histological pattern, and often requires a combination of immunosuppressive agents. The risk of end-stage kidney disease is low. Nevertheless, patients with pSS and kidney disease have significantly reduced quality of life.

ObjectivesInfection exerts a major burden in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), however, its precise extent and nature remains unclear. In this national study we aimed to longitudinally quantify, characterize and contextualize infection risk in AAV.MethodsWe conducted a multicentre matched cohort study of AAV. Complementary data on infections were retrieved via data linkage with the population-based Scottish microbiological laboratory, hospitalization and primary care prescribing registries.ResultsA total of 379 AAV patients and 1859 controls were followed up for a median of 3.5 years (interquartile range 1.9–5.7). During follow-up, the proportions of AAV patients with at least one laboratory-confirmed infection, severe infection and primary care antibiotic prescription were 55.4%, 35.6% and 74.6%, respectively. The risk of infection was higher in AAV than in matched controls {laboratory-confirmed infections: incidence rate ratio [IRR] 7.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.6, 9.6]; severe infections: IRR 4.4 [95% CI 3.3, 5.7]; antibiotic prescriptions: IRR 2.2 [95% CI 1.9, 2.6]}. Temporal trend analysis showed that AAV patients remained at a higher risk of infections throughout the follow-up period, especially year 1. Although the Escherichia genus was the most commonly identified pathogen (16.6% of AAV, 5.5% of controls; P ConclusionAAV patients have up to seven times higher risk of infection than the general population and the overall risk remains significant after 8 years of follow-up. The testing of enhanced short- to medium-term prophylactic antibiotic regimes should be considered.

Objectives : To study variations in Canadian clinical practice patterns for the management of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and identify points to consider for the development of national recommendations. Material and Methodology : A 30-item needs assessment questionnaire was sent to all members of the Canadian Vasculitis network (CanVasc), Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA), Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) and Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN). Respondent characteristics, practice patterns, concerns and expectations were analyzed. Results : Among 132 physicians who followed at least 1 vasculitis patient and responded to the survey, 39% stated that they felt confident in their management of AAV. Several variations in practice were observed regarding diagnostic procedure, induction and maintenance treatments and use of biologics; some were due to logistic constraints (difficulties in access to some specific tests, drugs or care; lack of health care coverage for the costs). The top 5 topics for which recommendations are expected involve treatment for remission induction, maintenance, refractory disease, and relapse as well as biologics. Conclusion : Practice variations identified in this needs assessment survey will serve to formulate key questions for the development of CanVasc recommendations.

To explore treatment and outcomes in older patients with AAV. Retrospective review (1 year) of patients > 75 years with positive MPO/PR3 antibodies. Thirty-nine evaluable patients had new positive MPO/PR3 antibodies. Nine patients had AAV and two possible AAV (2M, 9F mean age 82 years). Nine patients had renal impairment and three died during their presenting admission, all having required dialysis ± plasma exchange. Non-survivors had higher average creatinine (442 vs 265 µmol/L) and more co-morbidities (2 or more co-morbidities vs 0 or 1). All patients deemed fit received treatment, one discontinued (infection). Survival in AAV was 46% at 1 year and 18% at 2 years. 1/3 of positive MPO/PR3 results were not acknowledged in case records by clinicians. Renal involvement is common in elderly patients with AAV. High creatinine, co-morbidity and need for dialysis are associated with a poorer prognosis. Mortality is high but survivors tolerate treatments well.

Resume L’arterite temporale de la maladie de Horton est frequente chez le sujet âge mais elle est extremement rare chez les patients âges de moins de 50 ans. Nous decrivons deux cas de patients de sexe masculin : un qui a presente a l’âge de 31 ans un gonflement nodulaire douloureux des arteres temporales avec a la biopsie de l’artere temporale une panarterite sans cellules geantes avec un infiltrat inflammatoire mixte typique d’une arterite temporale juvenile ; un autre patient, âge de 40 ans, s’est presente avec des cephalees et l’angiographie cerebrale a montre des signes de vascularite intracrânienne avec a la biopsie de l’artere temporale un aspect typique d’arterite a cellules geantes multinucleees de type maladie de Horton. Le premier patient s’est ameliore spontanement apres la biopsie et le second a repondu a un traitement corticoide. Ces deux cas individualisent deux cas tres rares d’arterite temporale chez le jeune. Un troisieme sous-groupe est celui associe a une vascularite systemique.

Objective.The Canadian Vasculitis research network (CanVasc) is composed of physicians from different medical specialties and researchers with expertise in vasculitis. One of its aims is to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and management of antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) in Canada.Methods.Diagnostic and therapeutic questions were developed based on the results of a national needs assessment survey. A systematic review of existing non-Canadian recommendations and guidelines for the diagnosis and management of AAV and studies of AAV published after the 2009 European League Against Rheumatism/European Vasculitis Society recommendations (publication date: January 2009) until November 2014 was performed in the Medline database, Cochrane library, and main vasculitis conference proceedings. Quality of supporting evidence for each therapeutic recommendation was graded. The full working group as well as additional reviewers, including patients, reviewed the developed therapeutic recommendations and nontherapeutic statements using a modified 2-step Delphi technique and through discussion to reach consensus.Results.Nineteen recommendations and 17 statements addressing general AAV diagnosis and management were developed, as well as appendices for practical use, for rheumatologists, nephrologists, respirologists, general internists, and all other healthcare professionals more occasionally involved in the management of patients with AAV in community and academic practice settings.Conclusion.These recommendations were developed based on a synthesis of existing international guidelines, other published supporting evidence, and expert consensus considering the Canadian healthcare context, with the intention of promoting best practices and improving healthcare delivery for patients with AAV.

Temporal arteritis in the form of giant cell arteritis (GCA) is common in the elderly but is extremely rare in patients less than 50 years of age. We describe two male patients: one who presented at the age of 31 years with painful, nodular swellings of both temporal arteries and whose temporal artery biopsy demonstrated a non-giant cell panarteritis with mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate typical of juvenile temporal arteritis (JTA); another one, aged 40 years, who presented with headache and cerebral angiography consistent with an intracranial vasculitis and whose temporal artery biopsy confirmed an authentic multinucleated GCA. The first patient spontaneously improved after biopsy and the second patient has responded well to corticosteroid therapy. These two cases exemplify well two distinct but extremely rare forms of temporal arteritis in young patients. A 3rd subset is that associated with a systemic vasculitis. Few cases of JTA have been reported and, to our knowledge, we describe in this report one of the only cases of GCA with central nervous system involvement in the young.