Pauci-immune
| Pauci-immune | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Rheumatology |
Pauci-immune (pauci- Latin: few, little) vasculitis is a form of vasculitis that is associated with minimal evidence of hypersensitivity upon immunofluorescent staining for IgG.[1] Often, this is discovered in the setting of the kidney.
When the glomeruli of the kidney from a patient with symptoms of proliferative nephritis are examined under the microscope, crescents will be normally observed. When these are subjected to immunofluorescence, three patterns can be observed: linear, granular and negative (pauci-immune).[1] The linear and granular patterns are examples of positive immunofluorescence that are associated as follows: Goodpasture syndrome (linear pattern), post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (granular), and diffuse proliferative nephritis (granular).[1] The negative immunofluorescence pattern, however, is called "pauci-immune" and is often associated with systemic vasculitides (plural of vasculitis) including: microscopic polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA).[1][2]
In the setting of systemic vasculitis as described above, proliferative nephritis is associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA).[3] Because of this, an ANCA test should always follow a negative immunofluorescence result to have the highest accuracy for confirming pauci-immune vasculitis-driven proliferative nephritis.[1]
Some cases of pauci-immune proliferative nephritis have no explanation and are thus deemed "idiopathic."
Peak incidences in 50- to 60-year-olds symptoms include intermittent fever / weight loss / shortness of breath / joint pain.
See also
[edit]- Systemic vasculitis#Pauci-immune
- Goodpasture Syndrome and Poststrep Glomerulonephritis
- Microscopic polyangiitis, Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis or Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Sattar (2011). Fundamentals of Pathology. p. 130. ISBN 978-0983224600.
- ^ "Final Diagnosis -- Case 51". Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ Bollée G, Noël LH, Suarez F, et al. (June 2009). "Pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis associated with ANCA of IgA class". Am. J. Kidney Dis. 53 (6): 1063–7. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2008.10.039. PMID 19084310.