Holle JU, Gross WL, Latza U et al. Arthritis Rheum 2011;63:257–66.
The diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) have improved enormously during recent decades. In this long-term outcome study from one of the few centers worldwide that has focused on WG for decades (Vasculitis Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lubeck, Germany), it was demonstrated that mortality has declined over the last four decades. This occurred in conjunction with earlier diagnosis and therapy, reduction in relapse rates, and a lower cumulative cyclophosphamide dose with fewer deaths related to therapy.
A total of 445 patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) who either originated from a historical cohort of patients diagnosed between 1966 and 1993 (n=155; cohort 1), or cohorts of patients diagnosed between 1994 and 1998 (n=123; cohort 2) and between 1999 and 2002 (n=167; cohort 3), were included in this study.