CHELATION THERAPY IN WEGENERS GRANULOMATOSIS TREATMENT WITH EDTA

23-year-old woman with Wegener's granulomatosis continued to deteriorate for 20 months on antibiotic and steroid therapy. Addition of intravenous Na, EDTA to her regimen brought about prompt improvement with normalization of neurological findings, loss of pain and clearing of pulmonary involvement. After five months steroids were discontinued. Since April, 1967, eight exacerbations in 18 months of cellulitis of the right eye with occasional otitis media and facial pain were treated with antibiotics and EDTA with alleviation of symptoms except for ophthalmoplegia, total deafness and saddle nose deformity, Complete control of symptoms occurred only after addition of EDTA. Abnormal tryptophan tolerance studies and increased urine porphyrins and zinc and copper excretion were noted. Further study of EDTA in Wegener's granulomatosis would seem warranted. © 1969, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.