Neurological Complications of Wegener's Granulomatosis

Introduction Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic, uniformly fatal disorder characterized by the occurrence of granulomas and focal arteritis in the respiratory tract, kidneys, and other organ systems. It has often been considered to be closely related to the collagen disorders and has aroused speculation as to why the respiratory tract and kidneys should be preferentially involved. The fact that the nervous system is often affected in Wegener's granulomatosis has been generally overlooked. Thus, while the neurological complications of other granulomatous and angiitic disorders are well described,1-5there is no comprehensive review of the scope of neurological involvement in this disease. It is the purpose of this communication to present a case in which neurological involvement played a prominent part in the symptomatology and to review briefly similar experiences described in the literature. Report of a Case History.*—A 30-year-old married factory worker was admitted to the National Institute of