Assessing Cognitive Health Outcomes in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Patients

Anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a rare and life-threatening autoimmune disease with severe complications. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is thought to be rare, however, the prevalence of neuropsychiatric complications have been reported in 30-60% of AAV cases. Studies looking at the cognitive health outcomes of AAV patients with CNS involvement have noted cognitive impairment as a significant contributor to reduced quality of life with unique challenges in care and treatment. The data collected from this primary output could be combined with global assessments of cognitive function as well as the application of advanced imaging tools to study the relationship between vascular abnormalities, disease activity and cognition. Our findings could prompt the use of non-invasive imaging to identify early signals of AAV complications and prevent irreversible damage