Azathioprine, an immunosuppressive medication, may help keep immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) under control over the long term, while reducing glucocorticoid, or steroid, use, according to a small real-world study in Austria. In most of the 10 patients evaluated, azathioprine — primarily used to treat immune diseases — was…
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Closely monitoring disease activity without starting medication immediately — an approach called watchful waiting — may raise the risk of relapse for people with mild IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), according to a real-world study from China. In people with IgG4-RD, watchful waiting is sometimes used as a strategy for patients…
Regulatory authorities in Japan have granted orphan drug designation to rilzabrutinib, an oral therapy candidate for immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) that’s now in late-stage clinical testing globally. In Japan, orphan drug designation is awarded to experimental medicines that aim to treat diseases affecting fewer than 50,000 people in the…
Long-term treatment with rituximab — a cancer drug used despite not having specific approval — is safe and generally effective for controlling IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), though researchers say more study is needed to standardize its use. Those are the outcomes of a small study by scientists in Germany, who…
Most adults ages 50 and older with immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) have multiple organ involvement, whereas the disease predominantly affects a single organ in patients ages 25 years or younger, according to a study in Argentina. Data also showed that older patients had more pronounced involvement of lymph…
Most people with IgG4-related cholangitis, a form of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) that affects the bile ducts — the tubes that carry the digestive fluid from the liver — responded well to standard glucocorticoid therapy and had favorable long-term survival, according to a study in China. The data also…
IgG4-related sclerosing mesenteritis (IgG4-SM), a rare and often overlooked manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) treated in many cases by surgery, may respond to less invasive approaches, a study from China found. IgG4-SM is marked by inflammation and scarring of the mesentery, the tissue that anchors the intestines to the…
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) may affect the nervous system more often than has been previously recognized, according to a study from Turkey. Researchers found that more than one in five patients treated at their clinic had neurological involvement, most commonly manifesting as vision problems. “Although neurological manifestations of IgG4-RD are…
People with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) who have a history of allergies are more likely to relapse after initial treatment, according to a recent study. Data also suggest that demographic variables and patterns of disease involvement differ between IgG4-RD patients with or without allergies. Specifically, individuals with a history of…
IgG4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD) — IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) that affects the eyes — is typically treated with steroids, but some patients may need add-on immunosuppressants if the disease returns, a study found. Relapse appeared to be more common in people with high IgG4 levels in the blood or…
