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DESCRIPTIONWegener's granulomatosis is an autoimmune vascular disease that can affect both men and women; and although it is more common in persons in their middle age, it can affect persons of any age. The initial manifestations generally involve the upper and lower respiratory tract, with a chronic, progressive inflammation. The inflammation may form lumps or granulomas in the tissues or in the skin. It may progress into generalized inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis) and kidneys (glomerulonephritis). A limited form of the disease that does not involve the kidneys may occur.
The vasculitis is the result of an autoimmune reaction in the wall of small and medium-sized blood vessels. Chronic vasculitis causes a narrowing of the inside of the blood vessel and can result in obstruction of the flow of blood to the tissues. This situation may cause damage to the tissues (necrosis).
Autoimmune diseases occur when these reactions inexplicably take place against the body's own cells and tissue by producing self-reactive antibodies. In Wegener's granulomatosis, an autoantibody is directed toward components in the cytoplasm of certain white cells.
LINKS
Wegener's Granulomatosis Association
NIAID Fact Sheet: Wegener's Granulomatosis
Wegener's Granulomatosis Site
Wegener's Granulomatosis Info
Yahoo Health: Wegener's Granulomatosis
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch
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