Microscopic Polyangiitis Secondary to Mycobacterium Abscessus in a Patient with Bronchiectasis: A Case Report
November 2018
in “
BMC Pulmonary Medicine
”
TLDR A 70-year-old woman with bronchiectasis developed a rare immune disease due to a bacterial infection, requiring a difficult balance of treatments.
This case report described the first instance of ANCA positive vasculitis (Microscopic Polyangiitis) secondary to Mycobacterium abscessus pulmonary disease in a 70-year-old female with bronchiectasis. The patient experienced clinical decline, small joint arthralgia, and sensorimotor neuropathy, leading to a diagnosis of microscopic polyangiitis confirmed by positive P-ANCA and MPO-ANCA titres. Treatment involved both immunosuppressive therapy and antimicrobial therapy, but balancing these treatments proved difficult, with reductions in immunosuppression causing vasculitic flares and increased immunosuppression worsening NTM-PD. The case highlighted the importance of investigating immune function in mycobacterial infections and the complex relationship between mycobacterial infection and immune dysfunction.
