A CASE OF PERIARTERITIS NODOSA WITH L.E. CELLS; APPARENT COMPLETE REMISSION WITH CORTISONE THERAPY

Abstract

A 56-year-old white married woman, hospitalized for high, unexplained fever, was diagnosed as having periarteritis nodosa upon finding lupus erythematosls cells in the blood and by leg muscle biopsy. Dramatic improvement followed treatment with relatively large doses of cortisone. A second muscle biopsy after 6 months of treatment showed normal muscle, suggesting the possibility that prolonged large doses of cortisone can facilitate the remission or healing of periarteritis nodosa. L.E. cells disappeared from the blood. Difficulty of early diagnosis is emphasized.