WEGNER'S GRANULOMATOSIS-INVESTIGATION

SUMMARY

1. The ANCA test (anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody thought to be a destructive auto-antibody) is often used as an adjunctive test - 90% sensitive and 90% specific.

2. When positive in a patient with GPA, it is virtually always c-ANCA (96%).

3. The additional important positive antibody is anti-PR3.

4. Confirm diagnosis from either a biopsy of the nasal membrane or a lung biopsy.

5. A kidney biopsy is not diagnostic because it may not show the granulomas, is much more invasive, and doesn't allow for differentiation between forms of vasculitis.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].