Therapeutic advances have changed #ANCA-associated #vasculitis (AAV) from a highly fatal disease to a chronic disease with a relapsing course (more than 50% of patients experience a relapse within 5 years). The relapse is defined as the reoccurrence due to active #inflammation recommended by EULAR, and it is classified as: (i) a major relapse, defined as reoccurrence of potential organs-threatening or life-threatening disease activity after remission, which could not be treated with an increase of glucocorticoid alone; (ii) a minor relapse, defined as a disease activity that was neither organs-threatening nor life-threatening. Long-term maintenance of #immunosuppressive therapy often leads to unnecessary treatment and increases the risk of serious adverse events, which may outweigh the benefits of preventing relapse. Adverse events, particularly infections, have been reported to be the leading cause of death in AAV patients within the first year. Therefore, a better understanding of risk factors for relapse would help to stratify patients; more treatment for those at high risk may prevent the development of relapse, while minimizing treatment for those at low risk may reduce the risk of adverse events, particularly infectious complications, and drug toxicity. Many factors have been found to be associated with the relapse of AAV in various cohort studies and long-term follow-up studies and are are summarized in this graphic. *Zhou H, Liang W, Hu H, Liu Z, Chu F, Ding G. An update on risk factors for relapse in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Clin Exp Immunol. 2024;218(2):120-135. 🔗doi.org/10.1093/cei/uxae068