title: [Nasal septal perforation and systemic disease].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasal septal perforations are mainly due to trauma. Our review highlights systemic diseases leading to this disorder.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Various systemic diseases may be responsible of nasal septal perforation: Wegener's granulomatosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, sarcoidosis, cryoglobulinaemia. But, very few data are available about the frequency of septum nasal perforation in each disease. Clinical manifestations are numerous and not specific: obstruction, epistaxis, postnasal discharge, whistling, crusting. Asymptomatic forms are frequent. Biopsy of nasal septum is poorly useful for the diagnosis except when granuloma or vasculitis is found. Pathophysiologic mechanisms of nasal septal perforation are ischemic, infectious or inflammatory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systemic disease may be suspected in unclear nasal septal perforation. More, in systemic disease, even when symptoms are absent, intranasal examination is required.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine interne, hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vignes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chaillet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cabane
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Piette
mesh_terms: D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D001706:Biopsy; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000150:complications*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000473:pathology*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000150:complications*