Wegener's granulomatosis in the elderly.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a systemic necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis in which the average age at onset is in the forties. The disease has an excellent response to treatment with cyclophosphamide. We proposed that the tendency to accept multisystem disease in elderly patients (greater than or equal to 60 years old) and a reluctance to administer aggressive therapy would be reflected in the diagnosis and treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis in the elderly, and that as a consequence, the delay in diagnosis and implementation of therapy could result in a needlessly higher morbidity and mortality rate for this population of patients.