Do you have perpetual symptoms of a common cold, like runny nose or sinus problems, and your usual cold remedy regime isn’t working? Wegener’s granulomatosis, a rare abnormal immune function disorder, may be to blame.
Wegener’s granulomatosis causes vasculitis and granuloma that creates a consequence of blood flow restriction to various organs. For the most part, it affects your upper respiratory tract, lungs and kidneys. Granuloma is a type of inflammatory tissue around your blood vessels that can annihilate healthy tissue.
With early treatment, full recovery is possible. Without it, Wegener’s granulomatosis can be fatal because your kidneys can fail.
Symptoms of Wegeners granulomatosis are due to inflammation affecting body tissue. Nearly all sufferers have long lasting cold, runny nose or sinusitis symptoms that don’t respond to treatment.
Some accompanying symptoms you may experience include:
- fever
- cough
- fatigue
- pleuritis
- dyspnea
- hematuria
- weakness
- nosebleeds
- weight loss
- hemoptysis
- muscle pain
- night sweats
- nose deformity
- loss of appetite
- skin rash, sores
- hearing problems
- windpipe narrowing
- blistered skin lesions
- chronic ear infections
- Raynaud’s phenomenon
- double, decreased vision
- peripheral nerve difficulty
- voice change, hoarseness
- eye redness, burning, pain
- arthritic swelling, joint pain
- nasal membrane sores & crusting
- low red blood cell count ~ anemia
- small red, purple raised skin areas
- eye inflammation with visual problems
- gangrene development on finger, toe tips
Initial symptoms of Wegener’s granulomatosis are often unspecific. Sometimes, the disease only causes respiratory tract issues, while other organs are left undisturbed.
However, Wegener’s granulomatosis can cause a type of kidney disease that hinders its ability to remove waste and fluid excess. Thus, kidney failure is this disease’s principle cause of death. In addition, it can affect your heart’s arteries, causing chest pain or a heart attack.
Treatment medications for Wegener’s granulomatosis involve:
- immunosuppressive drugs
- corticosteroids, such as prednisone
- antibiotics to help prevent secondary infections
The cause of Wegener’s granulomatosis is unknown. But what is known is that it’s not an infection nor cancer.
Allergies can cause an incessant runny nose as well. So don’t self diagnose. Instead, take your unrelenting cold, drippy nose or sinusitis symptoms to your health care professional for a qualified investigation.
