Symptoms of Polyarteritis nodosa
The disease presents in a variety of ways. Typically, the patient experiences constitutional features (>90%) of fever, malaise, and weight loss along with the following manifestations of multisystem involvement.
| Organ | Manifestation | Prevalence (%) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peripheral nerves | Mononeuritis multiplex | 50–70 | Motor and sensory |
| Kidney | Multiple renal infarctions | 70 | Hypertension, mild proteinuria |
| Skin | Palpable purpura, ulcers, livedo, nodules | 50 | Mainly over the lower extremities |
| Joint | Arthralgias | 50 | |
| Arthritis | 20 | ||
| Muscle | Myalgias | 50–60 | |
| Gut | Abdominal pain, liver function abnormalities | 30–35 | Mesenteric arteritis |
| Heart | Heart failure, myocardial infarction | Low | |
| CNS | Seizures, stroke | Low | |
| Temporal artery | Jaw claudication | Low | |
| Testis | Pain | 20 | More common with hepatitis B |
| Eye | Retinal hemorrhage, optic ischemia | Low |
Note: PAN can be limited to one organ without detectable systemic involvement in up to 10% of cases. This usually presents as cutaneous PAN.
