A case of IgA vasculitis with necrotizing arteritis in a 13-year-old girl

IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is the most frequent form of vasculitis in childhood which classically presents with purpura of the lower extremities, joint pain or swelling and abdominal pain. Though it is a self-limiting disease, and its prognosis is generally good, glomerulonephritis is one of the most important complications. IgAV is classified as a small vessel vasculitis, and though glomerulonephritis develops in IgAV, necrotizing arteritis is rarely seen. Here, we present a case of a 13-year-old girl with IgAV, glomerulonephritis, and necrotizing arteritis in the small renal arteries. There have been only a few reports of adult cases of IgAV with necrotizing arteritis in the kidneys, but there have been no pediatric cases. Some previous reports showed a high mortality rate and implied the possibility of overlap with other vasculitides. In the current report, a rare case of IgAV is described which exhibited necrotizing arteritis rather than overlap with another vasculitis, with a relatively typical clinical course for IgAV and laboratory tests.