Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

GPA Patient Carries NORD Banner to Top of Mt. Everest

  |  Issue: December 2015  |  

Although Ms. Abbott says the only way she would climb Mt. Everest again was if she were handed at least $1 million, she dreams of her next adventure. But this one will take a lot more effort, energy and persuasion. She wants to take her NORD banner to the moon, which is why she named her documentary, “Banner on the Moon.”

“This isn’t a joke,” says Ms. Abbott. “I love living life, experiencing new things and challenging myself.”

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Considering her background, anything is possible. Her illness is nothing more than an inconvenience.

Carol Patton is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas.

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Reference

  1. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s): Fast facts. The American College of Rheumatology.

Related Articles
    Figure 2: Renal Biopsy

    The Classification & Diagnosis of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

    Based on the classification system developed by the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis is defined as a necrotizing vasculitis involving small vessels that is associated with myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA or proteinase 3 (PR3) ANCA and displays minimal immune deposits. The mechanism behind the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated vasculitis is not fully…

    Case Report: GPA or IgG4-Related Disease in an 11-Year-Old Girl?

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a type of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated small vessel vasculitis that typically affects the kidneys, lungs and sinuses.1 Due to an overlap in signs and symptoms, GPA may initially be difficult to distinguish from IgG4-related disease, another condition that can affect multiple tissues and has variable presentations. Further complicating…

    Case Report: A COVID-19 Mimic

    A 67–year-old white woman with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon presented following a week of progressively worsening shortness of breath, dry cough and generalized malaise. An avid tennis player, she first noticed dyspnea while playing, but a few days later grew short of breath even at rest. She went to an urgent care center, where a computed…

    Figure 1. A nasal biopsy shows intimal infiltration of the small blood vessels (black arrow).

    Case Illustrates the Difficulty Diagnosing Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

    Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) was first described in the British Medical Journal in 1897 by Scottish otolaryngologist Peter McBride.1 GPA is a relatively rare, systemic necrotizing vasculitis that can make diagnosis challenging. The incidence has been estimated anywhere between two and 12 cases per million.2 GPA mainly affects adults between the ages of 45 and…