Wegener's granulomatosis is a rare disease. It is a type of vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels. This limits the flow of blood to important organs, causing damage. It can affect any organ, but it mainly affects the sinuses, nose, trachea (windpipe), lungs and kidneys.
The cause of Wegener's granulomatosis is unknown. Symptoms may include joint pain, weakness, tiredness and cold symptoms such as a runny nose that doesn't get better. Doctors use blood tests and chest x-rays to diagnose the disease and rule out other causes of the symptoms.
Early treatment is important. Most people improve with medicines to slow or stop the inflammation.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Wegener's Granulomatosis
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/wegeners/
- Wegener's Granulomatosis(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center) - http://vasculitis.med.jhu.edu/typesof/wegeners.html
- Wegener's Granulomatosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/wegeners-granulomatosis/DS00833/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Medical Procedures for Wegener's Granulomatosis(Vasculitis Foundation) - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/node/43
- Remission and Flares(Vasculitis Foundation) - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/node/42
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Wegener Granulomatosis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Wegener+Granulomatosis%22
- Article: Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Case 31-2008. A... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18843125&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: HLA class I deficiency syndrome mimicking Wegener's granulomatosis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18668571&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Clinical images: perforation of the nasal septum and palate due... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18668555&tool=MedlinePlus
- Wegener's Granulomatosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=wegener+granulomatosis[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+3+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association - http://www.aarda.org/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Vasculitis Foundation - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/
- Vasculitis Statistics(Vasculitis Foundation) - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/node/50
- Autoimmune Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autoimmunediseases.html
- Vasculitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vasculitis.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Kidneys and Urinary System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kidneysandurinarysystem.html
- Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Wegener's Granulomatosis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/