What is remission

[Malok]

For those of you who say you are in remission just what do you mean? Are you off meds or on low dose maintainence with an absence of symtoms? Has your ANCA dropped below positve levels? I've been on meds for 3 yrs since diagnosis. Started on 60mg of prednisone with 3 monthly infusions of cytoxin. Then began to taper the prednisone and 150mg of azothiaprine. Currently on 7.5 mg of prednisone and 100 mg of azothiaprine. ANCA still in positive range.

[pberggren1]

Remission means no disease activity.

[annekat]

On here, we speak of medicated remission, meaning there is no disease activity, but that state is being maintained by the meds we are on, or drug-free remission, meaning there is no disease activity and we are able to maintain that without using any of the meds anymore. As for ANCA level readings, it is not so much of an indicator, as some people have only a very slightly positive or a negative reading while having plenty of disease activity. That was the case with me when I was diagnosed. But if you have a consistently high reading, then I will leave it up to others to answer that.