Abdominal Pain, an Atypical Presenting Symptom of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

Abstract

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis, is an anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). It is an uncommon disease with an estimated prevalence of 3 in 100,000 individuals with an equal distribution in both sexes. It is characterized by necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis that primarily affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and the kidneys.  Our patient's initial presentation was abdominal pain with no typical pulmonary or renal manifestations. Along the course of her hospitalization, she had multiple episodes of drop in hemoglobin and a steady increase in serum creatinine which was thought to be due to IV contrast nephropathy. With this case, we project the need for a high index of clinical suspicion to make an early diagnosis, especially in patients with atypical symptoms such as abdominal pain, and acknowledge the fact that IV contrast can possibly act as a second hit in underlying GPA, unmasking the active renal symptoms of the disease.