A 40-YEAR-OLD Shenzhen man was diagnosed with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare systemic vasculitis predominantly affecting small blood vessels, by doctors at a Wuhan hospital earlier last month. He is the second EGPA patient found in China, according to the Wuhan Evening News.

The patient, surnamed Wang, has been bothered by erythema on his right leg since a year ago. As his condition hadn’t improved after receiving medical treatment at local hospitals in Shenzhen, he traveled to his wife’s hometown in Wuhan earlier last month and visited Wuhan No. 1 People’s Hospital.

A blood test showed that Wang’s blood platelet count was only half the normal level. After rounds of medical checks, Wang was diagnosed with EGPA.

According to the report, Wang is the 20th EGPA patient in the world and the second in China. The first EGPA case in China was found at a Guangdong hospital last year.

Wang recovered well after receiving immunotherapy and plasma exchange at the hospital.

Xiong Wie, Wang’s attending doctor at the hospital, said patients with erythema and red spots on their skin should see a doctor for further examinations if their condition doesn’t improve after they have received medical treatment for some time, because erythema and red spots might be signs of a visceral disorder. (Zhang Yang)