Wegener granulomatosis is not a kind of disorder that you will find occurring in people often. Although rare, but it directly targets blood vessels thus causing severe inflammation. This throttles normal flow of the blood in other organs and may even impair them eventually. Wegener's granulomatosis can aim any organ of your body but usually excretory organ and upper portion of the respiratory system are affected by this disorder. If diagnosed in its initial stage and treated properly, Wegener's granulomatosis can be cured fully but if left untreated, it can prove fatal. The disease occurs in both males and females and it can target people of any age-group.

Wegener Granulomatosis Symptoms

Initially, the signs of Wegener's granulomatosis are not evident and an individual may usually feel pain in the joints and fatigued. The disease after gradually targeting the respiration system enters to blood stream and then vigorously spreads in other organs. Now the affected person will feel feverish and breathing problem apart from frequent problems in ear, nose and throat. Not only the person will become anemic, but even the eyesight may become poor and skin may get infected. Sometimes, the eye problem becomes worse with acute burning sensation and one must quickly go to doctor for consultation. The patient’s normal diet also reduces thus making him/her weaker than before. In case, Wegener's granulomatosis targets kidney then there will not be any apparent sign and it would only be confirmed when laboratory tests would be taken out.

Wegener Granulomatosis Causes

So far, the exact reason for the occurrence of Wegener's granulomatosis has not been figured out and the experts consider that it could be an unusual response of the immune system to the reactions taking place in the body due to allergies.

Diagnosis of Wegener Granulomatosis

Diagnosis at right time followed by proper treatment is must when a person is affected by Wegener's granulomatosis. After going through all the evident signs of Wegener's granulomatosis, the doctor will conduct some laboratory tests to find out the severity of the disease. Among the host of tests, the doctor will first take out a sample of the blood to see how much has the blood infected and whether the patient is anemic or not. Then comes urine test that will clarify that either your kidney is safe or has been aimed by Wegener's granulomatosis. Biopsy is also done for which either local anesthetics are used to take out samples from affected portions or the affected person would have to be admitted to hospital if samples from lungs are required. In addition, an X-ray of the chest is taken out to see the severity of the disease in the lungs. However, sometimes, it becomes difficult to differentiate Wegener's granulomatosis with other infections existing in lungs.

Wegener Granulomatosis Treatment

Wegener granulomatosis treatment, should start as soon as its signs become evident because slight carelessness may lead to fatality. The doctor gives high doses to medicines to the patient that comprises of corticosteroid medicines like deltasone and chemotherapy course like amethopterin drugs. The basic function of these medicines is to inhibit the immune system of the patient’s as well as cause subsidence. In next few days or a couple of weeks, the patient will feel better but he would have to complete the course of the medicines. The disease reappears in certain cases within 12-24 months after the patient stops taking medicines. Hence, even after the treatment, the affected person should visit the doctor for frequent check-up.

In case, the disease affects only kidney and thus causing its failure then the patient is left with no other option that to go for transplantation of kidney. However, if the patient’s other organs have also been enveloped by Wegener's granulomatosis, then the doctor will decide whether to newly transplanted kidney would be safe from the disease or would preventive medication should be taken.