ARE THE RENAL ANCA-ASSOCIATED VASCULITIDES HISTOLOGIC PATTERNS CHANGING AFTER COVID PANDEMIC?

We noticed a significant increase in renal ANCA associated vasculitides (AAV) during pandemic period in our province (2020-2022), accompanied of greater severity manifested in higher mortality and dialysis needs, encompassing some changes in renal biopsies findings, such as more percentage of preferably mesangial immunoglobulin G and C3 deposits, without identifying the real aetiology of those apparently new features of AAV. Furthermore, we checked literature, and found a few papers with related findings, such as higher incidence of anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies and the possible pathogenic role of myeloperoxidase (MPO) deposits in glomerular disease, so we decided to write this brief editorial to analyze the state of the knowledge, specially focusing on histopathologic characteristics and pathogenic mechanisms of AAV.