Pulmonary manifestations and outcomes in paediatric ANCA-associated vasculitis: a single-centre experience

OBJECTIVES

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) usually involves the renal and respiratory systems, but the paediatric literature on pulmonary manifestations and outcomes is limited. We aimed to describe pulmonary manifestations and outcomes after therapy in a cohort of paediatric AAV (pAAV) patients.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of all patients <19 years presenting to our institution with AAV between 1/2008 and 2/2018 was conducted. Patient demographics, clinical presentation, diagnostic testing, therapy and pulmonary outcomes over the first 3 years after presentation were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients were included; all had ANCA positivity by immunofluorescence. A total of 23 had microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), 13 had granulomatosis with polyangiitis and 2 had eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. A total of 30 (79%) had pulmonary manifestations, with cough (73%) and pulmonary haemorrhage (67%) being the most common. Abnormalities were noted in 82% of chest CT scans reviewed, with nodules and ground-glass opacities being the most common. At 6, 12 and 36 months follow-up, respectively, 61.8%, 39.4% and 29% of patients continued to show pulmonary manifestations. Five MPA patients with re-haemorrhage are described in detail.

CONCLUSION

MPA was more common than granulomatosis with polyangiitis, with pulmonary involvement being common in both. MPA patients had more severe pulmonary manifestations. Chest CT revealed abnormal findings in a majority of cases. A subgroup of young MPA patients experienced repeat pulmonary haemorrhage. Treatment modality and response were comparable in different subtypes of AAV, except for this young MPA group. Additional prospective studies are needed to better understand the different phenotypes of pAAV.

Incidence and clinical features of paediatric vasculitis in Eastern China: 14-year retrospective study, 1999-2013

Objectives

To determine the incidence and clinical features of paediatric primary vasculitis in patients from one centre in Eastern China.

Methods

Medical records of paediatric patients diagnosed with primary vasculitis between January 1999 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. For Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP) and Kawasaki disease (KD), patients included in the analyses had data available for the previous 5 years.

Results

In total, 1896 patients were identified, of whom 1100 had HSP, 760 had KD, 23 had Takayasu arteritis, five had polyarteritis nodosa, four had cutaneous polyarteritis, three had Behçet’s disease and one had microscopic polyangiitis. Of the 615 patients with HSP included in the analyses, 49.8% had HSP nephritis (for 90% of whom it occurred within 1 week of disease onset). Of the 470 patients with KD included in the analyses, 13.8% were diagnosed with incomplete KD and 29.0% had a concurrent coronary artery lesion. For the 23 patients with Takayasu arteritis, the common clinical symptoms were hypertension, asphygmia/weak pulse and heart failure; only one of these patients had been diagnosed at an early disease stage. The five patients with polyarteritis nodosa received immunosuppressant therapy following diagnosis. Other vasculitides were uncommon.

Conclusions

The most common primary vasculitides in this population of children from Eastern China were HSP and KD; other vasculitides were rare. Paediatricians should be suspicious of vasculitis when there is evidence of systemic inflammation and multisystem disease that cannot be explained by one specific disorder.