Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most prevalent connective tissue diseases and can be complicated by vasculitis with systemic manifestations. Rheumatoid vasculitis can range in severity from a widespread, life-threatening disease refractory to treatment to a more benign, localized disease responsive to treatment. We describe here a patient with RA who presented with bilateral calf muscle pain secondary to rheumatoid vasculitis. The patient had intractable calf muscle pain which did not respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants. He did not have any other manifestations of rheumatoid vasculitis such as skin ulcers, peripheral neuropathy, or gastrointestinal involvement. A thorough diagnostic work-up concluding with a muscle biopsy revealed a non-necrotizing small vessel vasculitis. The patient's symptoms responded very well to a course of steroids and he required no additional cytotoxic agents. This case illustrates that rheumatoid vasculitis can present as an isolated striated muscle vasculitis characterized by a relatively benign course and prompt resolution with the initiation of steroids. Clinicians need to be aware that such a phenomenon can exist to facilitate early recognition and appropriate treatment.