Early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate immunosuppressive treatment remain the cornerstone of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis at the cost of significant toxicity. In this report, we present a case of a 69-year-old female who presented with advanced renal insufficiency and evidence of pulmonary hemorrhage and was MPO-ANCA-positive with a clinical phenotype of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Organ involvement included rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (GN), along with extrarenal manifestations (skin, upper and lower respiratory system involvement, and onset of saddle-nose deformity). Kidney biopsy established the diagnosis of pauci-immune crescentic, sclerotic GN. She received therapy with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, mainly due to life-threatening extra-renal manifestations, such as pulmonary hemorrhage. She avoided vasculitis-related death but she developed severe therapy-related toxicity, resulting in the discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. Continuous re-evaluation of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis in terms of response to immunosuppressive therapy and treatment-related toxicity is crucial for their management.
Keywords: ANCA; ear nose thorat involvement; kidney; vasculitis.