Treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis

Treatment and outcome of 111 patients who fell ill with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) between 1966 and 1990 were analysed retrospectively. Two regimens of treatment were distinguished: "conventional" treatment, i.e. daily application of cyclophosphamide/corticosteroids (FAUCI scheme) or azathioprine/corticosteroids or corticosteroids alone, and "stage-adapted" treatment, characterized by change of different treatments (e.g. cyclophosphamide pulse therapy, cotrimoxazole) according to the extent and activity of disease. In patients who received stage-adapted treatment, exacerbations occurred significantly more frequent than in conventionally treated patients, while lethal outcome was much more frequent in conventionally treated patients.