A rare, fulminant small vessel vasculitis that affects the capillary beds of the kidneys and lungs and characterized by the presence of anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and, in its full-blown form, anti-alveolar basement membrane (ABM) antibodies. Consequently, it may manifest as a rapidly progressive, isolated glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM nephritis) or as a pulmonary-renal syndrome with severe lung hemorrhage.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, formerly termed Wegener granulomatosis, is a systemic disease with a complex genetic background. It is characterized by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract, glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, and the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmatic autoantibodies (ANCAs) in patient sera. These ANCAs are antibodies to a defined target antigen, proteinase-3 (PR3, PRTN3; 177020), which is present within primary azurophil granules of neutrophils (PMNs) and lysozymes of monocytes. On cytokine priming of PMNs, PR3 translocates to the cell surface, where PR3-ANCAs can interact with their antigens and activate PMNs. PMNs from patients with active GPA express PR3 on their surface, produce respiratory burst, and release proteolytic enzymes after activation with PR3-ANCAs. The consequence is a self-sustaining inflammatory process (Jagiello et al., 2004).

STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy is an autoinflammatory vasculopathy causing severe skin lesions, particularly affecting the face, ears, nose, and digits, and resulting in ulceration, eschar formation, necrosis, and, in some cases, amputation. Many patients have interstitial lung disease. Tissue biopsy and laboratory findings show a hyperinflammatory state, with evidence of increased beta-interferon (IFNB1; 147640) signaling (summary by Liu et al., 2014).