Periarteritis Nodosa

Abstract

Respiratory symptoms were the first manifestation of illness in a 17-year-old boy with a diagnosis of periarteritis nodosa.Over a period of several months he developed pulmonary infiltrates, peripheral eosinophilia, abdominal distress, and mononeuritis multiplex. As the disease became progressively more severe, it no longer responded to increasing doses of prednisone. Azathioprine therapy was started in addition to prednisone and the patient has had clinical remission of symptoms for 11 months. Periarteritis nodosa was first described 100 years ago by Kussmaul and Maier.1 Because any or¬