Vasculitis Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment on MedicineNet.com

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Vasculitis
(Arteritis, Angiitis)

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Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

What is vasculitis?
What causes vasculitis and what are examples of diseases with vasculitis?
How is vasculitis diagnosed?
How is vasculitis treated?
Vasculitis At A Glance
Related vasculitis article
Vasculitis - on eMedicineHealth
Patient Discussions: Vasculitis - Describe Your Experience

Featured vasculitis patient discussions on experience with condition

"I was 21 when I had my first ectopic pregnancy, which led to me having my right tube removed. The pain started in my tube and went up to my shoulder. The reason I am writing this is because I was told the chances of me having children were slim. Sadly, I did have six miscarriages. But in 2004, I had my wonderful little boy. Last week, the pain started again, and I was taken into the hospital. I was told I was having another ectopic pregnancy, which led to my left tube being removed. The point I am trying to make is it can have a happy ending, so don’t give up."

"My problem started as a tingling of the toes. As six months went by, the pain increased monthly until it felt like someone had poured gasoline on my feet. My doctor had no idea what the problem was. I went to a neuroscience institute where they gave me a biopsy of the calf muscle and foot nerve. It came back as positive for vasculitis. I took 12 months of cytoxin and prednisone. These lessened the pain, but the pain never went away totally in my feet. A second biopsy determined the vasculitis was in remission. I was finally weaned off the prednisone after two years, but I’m still taking oxycontin and gabapentin, which only take the edge off the pain. They now continue to look for ways to stop the pain, but I'm so tired of the constant pain in my feet."

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Top Searched Vasculitis Terms:

urticarial, symptoms, leukocytoclastic, hypersensitivity, brain, systemic, cerebral, rash, necrotizing vasculitis, types, rheumatoid arthritis, renal, kidney, granulomatous, henoch schonlein purpura

Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, or treatment.
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What is vasculitis?

Vasculitis is a general term for a group of uncommon diseases that feature inflammation of the blood vessels. The blood vessels of the body are referred to as the vascular system. The blood vessels are comprised of arteries that pass oxygen-rich blood to the tissues of the body and veins that return oxygen-depleted blood from the tissues to the lungs for oxygen. Vasculitis is characterized by inflammation in and damage to the walls of various blood vessels.

Each of the vasculitis diseases is defined by certain patterns of distribution of blood vessel involvement, particular organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. As a group, these diseases are referred to as vasculitides.

The word vasculitis is derived from the Latin "vasculum", vessel + "- itis", inflammation. Another term for vasculitis is angiitis. When arteries are the inflamed blood vessels, the condition is also referred to as arteritis. When the veins are inflamed, it is referred to as venulitis.

What causes vasculitis and what are examples of diseases with vasculitis?

The actual cause of these vasculitis diseases is usually not known. However, immune system abnormality and inflammation of blood vessels are common features. Each form of vasculitis has its own characteristic pattern of symptoms, much of which depends on what particular organs are affected.

Examples of vasculitis include Kawasaki disease, Behcet's disease, polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis, cryoglobulinemia, Takayasu's arteritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis), and Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

Vasculitis can also accompany infections (such as hepatitis B), exposure to chemicals (such as amphetamines and cocaine), medications, cancers (such as lymphomas and multiple myeloma), and rheumatic diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus).