[Spontaneous course of Wegener's granulomatosis]

Two cases of Wegener's granulomatosis are reported. During the 5 and 9 years course of the disease complete remissions and the disappearance of pulmonary opacities were found without specific treatment. Since 1970 cytotoxic drugs, e.g. cyclophosphamide, are frequently used for the treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis. The evaluation of the follow-up showed in these patients that in most cases the side-effects of the therapy, and not the primary disease, limited the life-expectancy. This especially applies for patients with mild forms of Wegener's granulomatosis, in which the initiation of a cytotoxic therapy should carefully be evaluated.