ANCA-associated vasculitides and classification: a conundrum solved?

摘要

The discovery of the antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) has brought us closer to understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of certain vasculitides. In spite of this, an ideal classification scheme for vasculitis has eluded the literature. This is especially true for those vasculitides that we believe are related to ANCA, a group of disorders sometimes referred to as ANCA-associated vasculitides, or AAV [Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and the occasionally referred to renal limited vasculitis] . In this issue of The Journal, Linder, et al from the University of Heidelberg once again tackle the issue of classification, specifically WG versus MPA, using an artificial neural network (ANN).