The body’s organs depend on a constant flow of oxygen rich blood from the blood vessels called arteries. If anything obstructs the flow or if the arteries fail, the condition can quickly be problematic and organs can begin to fail too. Such is the case with the rare autoimmune disease called polyarteritis nodosa. This creates inflammation of what are called medium-sized arteries (blood vessel inflammation is also called vasculitis), and can quickly result in serious illness and/or fatality if treatment doesn’t begin promptly.
Causes of polyarteritis nodosa aren’t always known. There may be some connection to diseases affecting the liver because it’s been noted that about 10-20% of people who contract this illness have recently or currently have Hepatitis B. Yet there exist cases of the condition where no liver disease can be detected, too. What is known is that this disease causes the body to attack its network of arteries, creating inflammation.
Symptoms of polyarteritis nodosa that may be noticed by each individual may vary depending on what organs are affected by inflamed arteries. Different organs can be involved in each case. There are some symptoms that may apply in all cases, and these include but are not limited to things like fatigue or fever. People may have skin rashes or bumps or lumps on the skin. Some note flulike sensations with aching joints or muscles and general malaise or weakness. Weight loss is very common, and people may also have poor appetite and/or stomach pain.
There are diagnostic criteria for this condition, which is slightly different than symptoms people might feel and report. Typically polyarteritis nodosa may be diagnosed by doctors if patients present with three or more of the following symptoms:
- Disease in one or more nerves.
- Leg pain, pain in muscles or muscle weakness.
- Unintentional weight loss of at least 8.82 pounds (4 kg).
- Angiogram results that show constricted arteries.
- Positive testing for Hepatitis B.
- Pain in the testicles.
- Purple blotchy rash (called livedo reticularis) covering the body.
- Kidney tests that show higher kidney enzymes.
- High blood pressure.
- Tissue biopsies that show inflammation of arteries.
Some of these symptoms are observed in a physical examination and doctors will typically test for others. For instance, they may want to do an angiogram or perform a biopsy of an organ in order to look for clear indicators of inflammation. Once polyarteritis nodosa diagnosis is confirmed, treatment begins immediately.
Treatment for this illness may include giving oral or injected corticosteroids and often both. Goal is to reverse the body’s tendency to attack its own arteries. Other medications that may be used include drugs that suppress the immune system, so inflammatory response is dulled.
Some issues may occur if people concurrently have infections like Hepatitis B, which the body does need to fight. Turning off the immune system can create serious problems. To correct this, those with hepatitis usually take antiviral medications.
With early treatment, many people recover from this illness or go into remission. It is more difficult to treat polyarteritis nodosa in advanced stages due to its tendency to create serious organ damage or to cause things like stroke. Present treatments are thought effective for many people, however.
