Necrotizing Vasculitis After Acute Serous Otitis Media

Seven adult patients developed widespread necrotizing vasculitis after acute serous otitis media. Clinically, these patients resembled other patients with vasculitis—neurological signs, renal disease, and systemic symptoms were the dominating clinical features. But significant hypertension, eosinophilia, and asthma were not seen in these patients, and none carried the hepatitis B antigen. Four of the seven patients developed acute episcleritis. Although the etiology is unclear, these clinical and epidemiological relations suggest that these patients form a distinct entity and that our concepts of necrotizing vasculitis should be broadened.