The role of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in the diagnosis and follow-up of Wegener's granulomatosis: A case report

Abstract

A case of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is reported in which changes in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) were studied. A 62-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with clinical and pathological indications of WG. With indirect immunofluorescence assay, a granular staining of the cytoplasma of neutrophils (C-ANCA) was detected. The titer of the C-ANCA was 1:80. Accordingly, a diagnosis of WG was made, and immunosuppressive therapy was initiated using Prednisolone and Cyclophosphamide. In the course of treatment, the titer of C-ANCA was found to correlate with the activity of the disease. The detection of ANCA was shown to be very useful for the early diagnosis of WG and for monitoring its activity.