The distinction between focused airway disease and severe systemic disease has important therapeutic implications. The course of airway stenosis in GPA has been found to run independently of the systemic disease course and is often refractory to standard systemic therapy. In one representative case series, subglottic stenosis (SGS) was diagnosed in 49% of patients while they were receiving systemic treatment, and 56% of the patients who required tracheostomies did so despite having been treated for at least 2 months with systemic immunosuppressive agents. Developing novel therapeutics to control airway-focused GPA and prevent the development and/or progression of destructive airway damage is desperately needed.