A new study shows that the newly discovered disease VEXAS syndrome may affect up to 15,000 people in the U.S. The recently discovered and rare syndrome predominately affects those over the age of 50. With a high mortality rate, VEXAS can cause up to half of the people afflicted with it to die within the first five years of diagnosis.
It wasn’t until 2020 that the VEXAS syndrome was properly identified. Let’s have a look at the symptoms of VEXAS syndrome.
VEXAS Syndrome Symptoms
Given its newly discovered status, VEXAS and its many important aspects are still being researched. What is known is the syndrome itself somehow leads to unexplained low oxygen levels and fevers in those diagnosed with other sicknesses and diseases.
The VEXAS syndrome symptoms include inflammation in the ear and nose, joint pain and swelling, inflammation of blood vessels, coughing, and shortness of breath.
Some of the more extreme symptoms include high fever, fatigue, and conditions such as anemia, low levels of platelets, blood clots, polychondritis, polyarteritis nodosa, sweet syndrome, and others.
Sometimes these symptoms are linked to certain rheumatic afflictions, making the VEXAS syndrome harder to recognize and diagnose.
VEXAS Syndrome and Treatment
Considering how new the VEXAS syndrome is, there is no current treatment yet. Usually, a doctor will diagnose it with a genetic test. They do this by looking for mutations of the UBA1 gene on the X chromosome.
Physicians will use steroids, and immunosuppressants to help get rid of inflammatory symptoms. In some cases, physicians may also transplant bone marrow into the patient. If you have any symptoms that you think may be an indicator of the VEXAS syndrome, speak to your physician as a genetic test makes it easy to spot.
