Spotlight: Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a type of vasculitis, sometimes known as Wegener's Granulomatosis. Vasculitis is simply the inflammation of blood vessels, which results in a reduced blood flow to the organs supplied by affected vessels. This results in the development of a small area of inflammation within the organ which is known as a granuloma. Granulomatosis is the name given to a chronic condition where multiple granulomas are formed. Granuloma itself derives from the Latin for ‘a little grain' combined with the Greek suffix ‘oma' for growth or tumour. The condition is f...