Polyarteritis nodosa with recurrent skin ulcers. A case report

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa or PAN is a rare disease. It is diagnosed frequently in middle age patients and the elderly. Reduction in hepatitis B virus infection has been associated with a reduction in the prevalence of PAN. We present a 78-year-old patient with extensive skin lesions, weight loss, high blood pressure (HBP), polyneuropathy, evidence of hepatitis B virus infection, and a biopsy showing vasculitis of a small or medium-sized arteries. Corticosteroid and antiviral treatment were prescribed to the patient and with great results. PAN is a necrotizing vasculitis that typically affects medium-sized vessels with occasional involvement of small vessels. It can be found in elderly male patients over the sixth decade of life with manifestations of recurrent skin ulcers and HBP.