Periarteritis nodosa

Symptoms result from damage to affected organs, often the skin, heart, kidneys, and nervous system.

Generalized symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain
• Decreased appetite
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint aches
• Muscle aches
• Unintentional weight loss
• Weakness

Nerve involvement may cause sensory changes with numbness, pain, burning, and weakness. Central nervous system involvement may cause strokes or seizures. Kidney involvement can produce varying degrees of renal (kidney) failure.

When heart arteries are involved, heart attack, heart failure, and inflammation of the sac around the heart (pericarditis) can occur.

There are no specific lab tests for diagnosing polyarteritis nodosa. Diagnosis is based on the physical examination and a few laboratory studies that help to confirm the diagnosis:

• Arteriogram to see any changes in the smaller arteries
• CBC may show a higher than normal white blood count
• ESR or CRP is often higher than normal
• Tissue biopsy reveals inflammation in small arteries, called arteritis
• Immunoglobulins may be increased

Images

Microscopic polyarteritis 2

Circulatory system

Polyarteritis, microscopic on the shin

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Review Date: 09/07/2010
Reviewed By: Mark James Borigini, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)