Wegener's granulomatosis: Description of a case where cutaneous involvement was correlated with elevation of the c-ANCA titer

Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic disease characterized by necrotizing granulomas and vasculitis involving the upper and lower respiratory tract as well as the kidneys. Cutaneous manifestations consist mainly of papules or papulonecrotic lesions. c-ANCA are known to be a valuable adjunct for th e diagnosis and follow-up of Wegener's granulomatosis with systemic involve ment. We report the case of a 49-year-old man with Wegener's granulomatosis who developed two relapses of the disease with cutaneous manifestation and who presented with concomitant elevation of the cANCA and more precisely t he subset PR3-ANCA during the acute phase of the disease. Copyright (C) 200 1 S. Karger AG, Basel.