Current Guidelines on ANCA-associated Vasculitides Common Features and Differences

The results of a number of prospective randomized controlled clinical trials have led to changes in established strategies for the treatment of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitides (AAV) in recent years. Since 2014, a total of 4 scientific societies and study groups have systematically reviewed the new data and have formulated evidence-based recommendations for the management of AAV based on the analysis. These recommendations contain information on diagnosis, treatment (induction and maintenance), supportive care and monitoring of disease activity and resulting damage. This review compares the recently published recommendations of the German Society of Rheumatology (Deutschen Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie, DGRh), the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/European Renal Association (ERA), the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) and the Canadian Vasculitis Research Network (CanVasc). The comparative analysis reveals a high level of agreement on numerous topics but also shows some minor and even a few major differences in the respective recommended approach to diagnosis and treatment of AAV. Divergent recommendations predominantly exist in areas with little scientific evidence from clinical studies. Furthermore, some differences result from different interpretation of existing data or are influenced by characteristic features of the respective national healthcare system. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.