RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH SYSTEMIC NECROTIZING ARTERITIS

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Abstract
An autopsy case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with active polyarthritis, systemic necrotizing arteritis, pleuritis, pericarditis, rheumatoid nodules in a few organs and a healing gastric ulcer was reported. Histologically, systemic necrotizing arteritis was characterized by vascular changes of the following 3 types: granulomatous arteritis with a characteristic arrangement of mesenchymal cells forming a palisade around coagulation necrosis of media and some of them formed a rheumatoid nodule-like lesion in the wall (RA type); fibrinoid arteritis very similar to the Kussmaul-Maier type periarteritis nodosa (PN type); and chronic arteritis with endarterial proliferation (Ep type). Although it is hard to distinguish arteritis of PN type from the Kussmaul-Maier type periarteritis nodosa, arteritis of RA type with rheumatoid nodule-like lesion in the wall may be interpreted as an extremely developed form of vasculitis in RA.