Treatment

With early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, you might recover from granulomatosis with polyangiitis within a few months. Treatment might involve taking prescription drugs long term to prevent relapse. Even if you're able to stop treatment, you'll need to regularly see your doctor — and possibly several doctors, depending on which organs are affected — to monitor your condition.

Medications

Corticosteroids such as prednisone help suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation of the blood vessels. Common side effects include weight gain, risk of infection and osteoporosis.

Other drugs that suppress your immune system include cyclophosphamide, azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), mycophenolate (CellCept) and methotrexate (Trexall). Rituximab (Rituxan) is another option for treating granulomatosis with polyangiitis. It's given by injection, and often is combined with corticosteroids.

Once your condition is controlled, you might remain on some drugs long term to prevent relapse. These include rituximab, methotrexate, azathioprine and mycophenolate.

Side effects of immune-suppressing drugs include increased risk of infection. Cyclophosphamide can cause nausea, diarrhea and hair loss. Your doctor may prescribe other drugs to help prevent side effects from prescribed treatments.

Plasma exchange

Also known as plasmapheresis, this treatment removes the liquid portion of your blood (plasma) that contains disease-producing substances. You receive fresh plasma or a protein made by the liver (albumin), which allows your body to produce new plasma. In people who have very serious granulomatosis with polyangiitis, plasmapheresis can help the kidneys recover.