title: Wegener's granulomatosis in a 15-year-old boy.
abstract: Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is an uncommon systemic vasculitis that is rarely encountered in children. A 15-year old boy presented with a one-month history of nasal obstruction, hemorrhagic rhinorrhea, malaise, fever, anorexia and weight loss, together with high values of inflammatory markers, microscopic hematuria and progressive decrease of renal functions. Renal biopsy revealed rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis with rare findings of interstitial and periglomerular granulomas. The diagnosis of WG was established and intravenous methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide therapy followed by oral application of prednisone and azathioprine led to a complete clinical and laboratory remission of the disease. The second renal biopsy performed after 28 months of treatment did not show any activity of the process. Currently, the boy is without any clinical or laboratory signs of active disease. Since untreated WG has a fatal prognosis, early diagnosis and appropriately aggressive immunosuppressive therapy are necessary for a favorable outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Teaching Hospital, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Sylva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skálová
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minxová
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podhola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008775:Methylprednisolone