Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration and small and medium-sized blood vessel destruction leading to renal failure. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been shown to have the potential to induce the presentation or exacerbation of autoimmune disease. This report describes the clinical features of a case of newly diagnosed ANCA-associated vasculitis after COVID-19 Infection.
Case Presentation:During the COVID-19 pandemic, a 67- year-old female Japanese was undergoing treatment for interstitial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension at her local doctor. About 2 months ago, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and went to a hotel for treatment, and her condition improved. But a month later, after her COVID-19 infection, she presented with a fever and cough and visited Yodogawa Christian Hospital in Osaka, Japan. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was negative. She underwent extensive radiological and laboratory investigations. Serologies revealed a high perinuclear-ANCA titer with a specific anti-myeloperoxidase antibody titer of 31.7 units/mL. We suspected ANCA-associated vasculitis and performed a renal biopsy. Renal biopsy showed evidence of crescentic glomerulonephritis, which was consistent with ANCA-associated vasculitis. The patient was referred to the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology for steroid pulse and cyclophosphamide treatment.
