Medicine, Rheumatology Specialist Dr. Leung Moon Ho's Profile

Systemic vasculitis can lead to renal dysfunction and multiple organ infections

Systemic vasculitis is a rare autoimmune disease, with limited knowledge, the only certain fact to this disease is that middle aged patients are highly prone to suffer from it. Earlier this year, the Queen Elizabeth hospital conducted a study to analyse 31 patients who had been diagnosed with "systemic vasculitis" in the hospital. Results showed that twelve of the patients died from the disease, a staggering eight person died of "organ infection."
                          
Deputy consultant physician of The Department of General Medicine, Department of Rheumatology, Dr. Leung Moon Ho,  said systemic vasculitis will attack the system in blood vessels, spreading itself to different organs, "neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody" (ANCA) stored in its cell will turn green, which is visible under the microscope. From there, the antibodies and symptoms can be diagnosed, but the disease has yet to find its cause.
 
Department of General Medicine Department of rheumatology specialist Chan Pui Shan said the median age of diagnosis was 63 years old, there are six kinds of systemic vasculitis symptoms: sudden foot sagging, rash, sudden fever, alveolar hemorrhage, joint pain, renal function recession and multiple organ infections.
 
After admission, patients have to be excluded from bacteria or viral infection. After diagnosis, immune system inhibitors will be used for the treatment of relevant symptoms. If the condition is improved, the inflammation will decrease, with no signs of hematuria or proteinuria suggesting the patient is cured. The study found seven patients with recurrence, the incidence of one year and five years after the initial occurrence, and the respective survival rate as seven percent and five percent.

Sources: 昔日東方
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Translated By: e-daicu.com