Rheumatoid vasculitis of the colon presenting as pancolitis.
This report describes a patient with pancolitis resulting from rheumatoid vasculitis. Corticosteroid treatment reduced colonic inflammation but colectomy was required to control hemorrhage. The case illustrates the need to recognize colitis as a manifestation of rheumatoid vasculitis so that new treatment modalities may be employed to achieve a more successful medical management. The appearance of discrete colonic ulcerations following corticosteroid treatment of pancolitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis should further suggest the diagnosis of intestinal vasculitis.
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003092:Colitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology