Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly Wegener’s granulomatosis, (as defined by EUVAS):

  • Fatigue
  • Acute dyspnea (shortness of breath)
  • General weakness
  • Anorexia (loss of appetite)
  • Arthralgia (joint pain)
  • Eyelid / lower leg edema (water retention).
  • Cephalgia (headache), due to hypertension (high blood pressure).
  • Chronic bloody-crusted rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal mucosa).
  • Chronic otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear).
  • Eyes
    • Episcleritis (inflammation of the episclera (highly perfused, loose layer of connective tissue separating the sclera (sclera) from the tunica conjunctiva (conjunctiva) at the anterior margin of the eye)).
    • Exophthalmos (protrusion of the eye from the orbit).
    • Peripheral keratomalacia (softening (malacia) with melting and opacity of the cornea of the eye) – as a corneal manifestation.
    • Visual disturbances
  • Increased temperature/fever
  • Gait unsteadiness
  • Weight loss
  • Glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli (renal corpuscles)), possibly “rapid progressive” form.
  • Skin changes such as purpura (punctate hemorrhages) or necrosis (tissue death).
  • Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
  • Hemorrhage (bleeding from the respiratory tract).
  • Mastoiditis (mastoid process inflammation; purulent inflammation of the bone behind the ear).
  • Fatigue
  • Myalgia (muscle pain)
  • Myositis (muscle inflammation)
  • Night sweats
  • Pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat)
  • Saddle nose
  • Septum perforation (hole in the nasal septum).
  • Sialadenitis (inflammation of the salivary glands)
  • Subglottic tracheal stenosis – tracheal narrowing below the glottis.
  • Numbness/sensitivity disorders, especially in fingers and tips of feet.
  • Ulcerations (ulcers) in the oropharynx (oral pharynx).