Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis (WG),[1][2][3][4][5] after German physician Friedrich Wegener, is a rare, long-term, systemic disorder that involves the formation of granulomas and inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis). It is an autoimmune disease and a form of vasculitis that affects small- and medium-sized vessels in many organs, but most commonly affects the upper respiratory tract, lungs, and kidneys.[6] The signs and symptoms of GPA are highly varied and reflect which organs are supplied by the affected blood vessels. Typical signs and symptoms include nosebleeds, stuffy nose and crustiness of nasal secretions, and inflammation of the uveal layer of the eye.[3] Damage to the heart, lungs, and kidneys can be fatal.
The cause of GPA is unknown. Genetics have a role in GPA, though the risk of inheritance appears to be low.[7]
The number of new cases of GPA each year is estimated to be between 2.1 and 14.4 new cases per million people in Europe.[3] GPA is rare in Japanese and African-American populations but occurs more often in people of Northern European descent.[7] GPA is estimated to affect three cases per 100,000 people in the United States and equally affects men and women.[10] GPA has infrequently been reported in minors.[11]
^ abSinger, O; McCune, WJ (May 2017). "Update on maintenance therapy for granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis". Current Opinion in Rheumatology (Review). 29 (3): 248–53. doi:10.1097/BOR.0000000000000382. PMID28306595. S2CID35805200.
^Cite error: The named reference Lopalco2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Lally, L; Spiera, R (2015). "Current landscape of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: classification, diagnosis, and treatment". Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America (Review). 41 (1): 1–19. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2014.09.003. PMID25399936.
^Keller, SF; Miloslavsky, EM (February 2016). "Corticosteroids in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis". Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 42 (1): 91–101. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2015.08.010. PMID26611553.
^ abcMillet, A; Pederzoli-Ribeil, M; Guillevin, L; Witko-Sarsat, V; Mouthon, L (August 2013). "Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides: is it time to split up the group?". Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (Review). 72 (8): 1273–9. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203255. PMID23606701. S2CID206849855.
^Pakalniskis, MG; Berg, AD; Policeni, BA; Gentry, LR; Sato, Y; Moritani, T; Smoker, WR (December 2015). "The Many Faces of Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis: A Review of the Head and Neck Imaging Manifestations". AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology (Review). 205 (6): W619–29. doi:10.2214/AJR.14.13864. PMID26587951.
^Treitman, P; Herskowitz, JL; Bass, HN (August 1991). "Churg-Strauss syndrome in a 12-year-old boy diagnosed by transbronchial biopsy". Clinical Pediatrics (Case Report). 30 (8): 502–505. doi:10.1177/000992289103000809. PMID1914353.