Patients with Wegener's granulomatosis often present with upper respiratory complaints, including sinusitis, nasal mucosal ulcerations, and serous or purulent otitis media with hearing loss, cough, hemoptysis, and pleuritis. Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Diagnosis is often difficult because of the varied presentation and because pathologic findings are usually absent. Renal biopsy can confirm the presence of glomerulonephritis. Polyarteritis nodosa may be diagnosed by evidence of organ involvement on biopsy or of multiple aneurysm formation on arteriography. Wegener's granulomatosis may be diagnosed by using pulmonary or respiratory tract biopsy.
Prognosis is very poor for both disorders, if untreated.
Other measures include immunosuppressants, antihypertensive therapy, careful fluid management, attention to renal impairment, and blood transfusion. Cyclophosphamide is the treatment of choice for Wegener's granulomatosis. All rights reserved.