J Korean Rheum Assoc.  2003 Mar;10(1):89-95.

A Case Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Accompanied By Severe Eosinophilia

• Lim HJ
• Park W
• Park BH
• Kim HJ
• Kim SS
• Lee YH
• Song JS
• Jin HS
• Choe WS

Abstract

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a syndrome characterized by necrotizing granulomatosis lesions in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, glomerulonephritis, and generalized vasculitis involving both arteries and veins. This syndrome usually affects the upper and lower respiratory tract and the kidneys. Some patients with WG have cardiac involvement such as pericarditis, myocarditis, valvulitis, arrhthymia, coronary arteritis, and rarely cardiomyopathy. Ocular manifestations include keratitis, conjuntivitis, scleritis, retro-orbital granuloma with proptosis. Uncommonly, blindness may occur due to retinal vasculitis and optic neuritis. We report a 45-year-old female patient with WG who had sinusitis and lung nodules. She complained of sudden chest pain. Electocardiography and nuclear myocardial perfusion study suggested transient myocardial ischemia. During the active course of the disease, she complained of severe pain in the right eye-ball with decreased visual acuity. Subsequently, she developed monocular blindness probably due to retinal vasculitis.

Keyword

Wegener's granulomatosis; Vasculitis; Transient myocardial ischemia; Blindness

MeSH Terms

Arteries
Arteritis
Arthritis, Rheumatoid*
Blindness
Cardiomyopathies
Chest Pain
Eosinophilia*
Exophthalmos
Female
Glomerulonephritis
Granuloma
Humans
Keratitis
Kidney
Lung
Middle Aged
Myocardial Ischemia
Myocarditis
Optic Neuritis
Perfusion
Pericarditis
Respiratory System
Retinal Vasculitis
Scleritis
Sinusitis
Vasculitis
Veins
Visual Acuity
Wegener Granulomatosis