Wegener's does not run in families and is not hereditary and most cases of Wegener's disease are sporadic and occur in people that have no family history of Wegener's disease.
Wegener's disease is a very rare condition and only affects around 2 out of 100,000 people in the United States.
Although it is often underdiagnosed which makes it difficult to know the exact number of cases.
You cannot ever fully recover from Wegener's disease although treatment can help you manage the symptoms and you can experience remission where the symptoms disappear although you will still have Wegener's disease even with treatment.
Wegener's disease requires lifelong care and medications to prevent relapses and regular doctors visits to monitor the condition.
The life expectancy with Wegener's granulomatosis is around 5 months without treatment and less than half of people with Wegener's granulomatosis survive one year without treatment.
With treatment the life expectancy with Wegener's granulomatosis is around 8 years and the 5 year survival rate is 74 to 79 percent.
The new treatment for Wegener's granulomatosis is a biologic medication called Rituximab which is chimeric monoclonal antibody which depletes B cells and can decrease the production of autoantibodies.
The medication rituximab is usually given in combination with glucocorticoids like prednisone.
The most common cause of death for Wegener's granulomatosis is hemorrhage which causes bleeding from eroded blood vessels in your lungs, intestines or upper respiratory tract.
Infections can also cause death in Wegener's granulomatosis as well as renal failure "kidney failure" and cardiovascular disease.
The neurological symptoms of Wegener's granulomatosis are peripheral neuropathy which causes a burning, tingling or numb feeling in your feet or hands, pain, weakness or abnormal sensations in specific areas of your body, inflammation of your cranial nerves, generalized seizures, paralysis on one side of your body and loss of control of blood pressure, bladder or sweating.
Other symptoms of Wegener's granulomatosis are hearing loss, blood in urine, joint aches, fever, cough and sinus pain.
Wegener's disease is not curable although treatment can help you live longer and manage the condition.
Without treatment Wegener's disease can be fatal within a few months or less.
With treatment 80 percent of people with Wegener's disease experience remission where the symptoms completely go away.
Wegener's disease is a chronic and lifelong condition which requires lifelong care and you may need to take medications to prevent relapses and you should see a doctor regularly to monitor the condition.
The causes of Wegener's granulomatosis is not known for sure but infections and genetics can trigger and cause Wegener's granulomatosis.
Researchers believe that Wegener's granulomatosis is an autoimmune disorder caused by infection, genetics, environmental factors and drugs such as cocaine, minocycline, propylthiouracil, hydralazine and levamisole.
The life expectancy with Wegener's granulomatosis is around 5 months without treatment and less than half of people with Wegener's granulomatosis survive one year without treatment.
With treatment the life expectancy with Wegener's granulomatosis is around 8 years and the 5 year survival rate is 74 to 79 percent.
The 1 year mortality rate of Wegener's granulomatosis is around 11 percent but can range from 2.2 percent to 25 percent depending on the severity of the disease and also the intensity of the treatment.
The most common cause of death in Wegener's granulomatosis is infection, kidney failure, respiratory failure, malignancy and cardiovascular events.
In most people, Wegener's granulomatosis affects the respiratory tract and the kidneys.
Some people with wegener's granulomatosis may have mild disease, while others develop life-threatening complications.
Wegener's granulomatosis can develop slowly over many months or it can develop rapidly over several days (acute).
Wegener's granulomatosis, which is now known as granulomatosis with polyangiitis, is a rare disease which causes inflammation of your blood vessels and the formation of granulomas.
Wegener's granulomatosis is one of a group of blood vessel disorders called vasculitis.
Wegener's granulomatosis is serous and can be fatal and prompt treatment is important.
In most cases, the exact cause of Wegener's granulomatosis is not known, but it is an autoimmune disorder.
Three mechanisms have also been described in the pathogenesis of central nervous system, spread of the granulomatous tissue from the nasal, paranasal or orbital cavity; the development of granulomas in the brain, meninges, cranial nerves or in parietal bone; and granulomatous vasculitis of the central nervous system.