Polyarteritis Nodosa Disease Information

Polyarteritis nodosa is considered to be a rare disease. It is a type of disorder that attacks the person’s immune system. It is characterized by the inflammation of the arteries, which is otherwise known as arteristis. And since it’s the arteries that are involved, the rest of the body can possibly be affected. Most of the time, it attacks the skin, the muscles, the joints, nerves, intestines, and even the kidney.

This disease is more observed in middle-aged individuals than in children, regardless of sex. People who had once suffered from Hepatitis B are more likely to develop this disease. There are no signs or researches proving that this disease can be inherited. Polyarteritis nodosa is sometimes alternatively called as periarteritis nodosa.

Symptoms of Polyarteritis Nodosa
The people who are suffering from polyarteritis nodosa will experience pain in the particular part of the body where the condition of the arteries had grown severe. All the symptoms associated with an organ not receiving the right amount of blood and oxygen is expected. If the abdominal area were affected, there would probably be bleeding inside the intestinal area. Local bowel death and abdominal pains are going to be experienced as a result. Patients will also complain of getting tired easily. They would also get chills and fever from time to time.

The body weight of a person with polyarteritis nodosa will be reduced over time. More often than not, the body mass lost is usually 4 kilograms or more. Aside from this, there will also be skin discolorations in the lower extremities or near the torso. Muscles pains are going to be common, and they are going to either feel week or tender.

Diagnosing Polyarteritis Nodosa
To diagnose this disease, patients are asked to undergo a series of blood tests. The patient’s red and white blood cells are counted and are adjusted accordingly. A biopsy of the tissue is also performed so that the exact location of the inflamed blood vessel is revealed. An angiogram is preferred when the arteries inflamed are suspected to be in the kidneys.

The blood pressure of a person is also noted. People suffering from polyarteritis nodosa also suffer from hypertension. For people with a history of Hepatitis B, virus tests are requested again, just to make sure that the disease won’t resurface again.

Treatment of Polyarteritis Nodosa
If polyarteritis nodosa is not medically attended to right away, the results may be fatal. Polyarteritis nodosa is considered to be a serious disease and its presence should not be ignored. Certain medications are prescribed and drugs like prednisone, cyclophosphamide, and azathioprine drugs are the ones mostly prescribed. Prednisone is an oral cortisone drug. Both cyclophosphamide and azathioprine are classified to be under the immunosuppressive drug category. On the other hand, hepatitis B patients are given antiviral drugs such as interferon-alpha and vidarabine. Some doctors give these drugs in a certain combination. They also determine the right dosage of these drugs in relation to the severity of the patient’s case. The main goal of the therapy is to decrease the inflammation that is present in the arteries.

Complications of Polyarteritis Nodosa
If left untreated, polyarteritis nodosa may escalate to a more severe condition such as stroke and eventual kidney failure. Some patients will have an increased risk of developing heart attacks. There will also be intestinal necrosis and perforation if the abdominal tract is severely affected.

It is then advised that the earliest detection of the disease is achieved. The sooner the disease is treated, the better the outcome is for the patients. Unfortunately, this disease cannot be prevented outright. But then again, if the symptoms and the damages caused by the disease are attended to early, the treatment procedure becomes a lot simpler.