J Korean Med Sci.  2006 Aug;21(4):591-595. 10.3346/jkms.2006.21.4.591.

Clinical Features of Polyarteritis Nodosa in Korea

• Bae YD
• Choi HJ
• Lee JC
• Park JJ
• Lee YJ
• Lee EB
• Song YW

• KMID: 2157806
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2006.21.4.591

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis characterized by multi-organ involvement with protean manifestations. We evaluated the clinical features of PAN in Korea. Twenty-seven patients were diagnosed as PAN at Seoul National University Hospital between January 1990 and July 2003. The male-to-female ratio was 1.7:1 and mean age at onset (+/-SD) was 47.4+/-20 yr. Their presenting features at diagnosis were similar to those reported previously, i.e., myalgia, muscle weakness or leg tenderness (70%), fever (52%), weight loss >4 kg (44%), skin rash (44%), peripheral edema (33%), abdominal pain (33%), and arthralgia/arthritis (30%). However, the prevalence of testicular pain or tenderness was higher (24%) than reported previously and only three (11.5%) had HBsAg positivity without liver enzyme elevation. Nine patients (33%) had a five-factor score (FFS) of 2. Fourteen patients (52%) responded to treatment, 2 patients relapsed and 4 died within 1 yr of diagnosis. During a median follow-up of 55.5 months, three of the four PAN-related deaths had an initial FFS of 2. The clinical features of PAN were not significantly different from those reported previously. However, testicular pain or tenderness was more frequent and patients with a high FFS tended to have a poorer prognosis.

Keyword

Polyarteritis Nodosa; Vasculitis

MeSH Terms

Survival Rate
Polyarteritis Nodosa/ethnology/mortality/*pathology
Middle Aged
Male
Korea
Humans
Fever/pathology
Female
Exanthema/pathology
*Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Adult
Adolescent

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Kaplan-Meier survival curve of polyarteritis nodosa patients. This curve plots time to disease related death. Eight patients died during the follow up period. Among these, 4 patients died due to vasculitis related causes (multiorgan failure, subarachnoid hemorrhage, renal failure in 2 cases) within one year. Other causes of death were lymphoma (1 case), metastatic gastric cancer (1 case), and accidents (2 cases).

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