A 39-year-old man has had several weeks of fever, weight loss, and lack of energy. Three days prior to the assessment, he developed a left foot drop. Physical examination confirms left peroneal nerve damage and a bilateral sensory peripheral neuropathy in both legs. Laboratory evaluation reveals ESR of 105 mm/h, neutrophilia of 14,000, and a negative serologic test for ANCA. Eosinophil count is normal. Angiography reveals small aneurysms of the celiac and renal arteries.For the above patient with vasculitis syndrome, select the most likely diagnosis.: (A) polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), (B) Churg-Strauss disease, (C) Henoch-Schonlein purpura, (D) vasculitis associated with infectious diseases
Answer is A. PAN is a multisystem, necrotizing vasculitis of small-and medium-sized muscular arteries. Aneurysmal dilations of the arteries are characteristic. Nonspecific signs and symptoms are the usual method of presentation. Renal involvement is clinically present in 60% of cases and is the most common cause of death in untreated cases.