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Vasculitis |
| This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. |
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| What is Vasculitis? |
| Vasculitis is a general term for a group of diseases that involve inflammation in blood vessels. Blood vessels of all sizes may be affected, from the largest vessel in the body (the aorta) to the smallest blood vessels in the skin (capillaries). The size of blood vessel affected varies according to the specific type of vasculitis. Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center. |
| Allergic Vasculitis is also known as Allergic Hypersensitivity or Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis. Medline Plus. |
| Symptoms and Complications of Vasculitis |
| Localized vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract (LVGT): a case series. LVGT is an uncommon form of vasculitis that can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. C. Salvarani. Rheumatology Advance Access. April 1 2010. |
| Renal transplantation in systemic vasculitis: when is it safe? There are no clear guidelines on renal transplantation in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive vasculitis. Circulating ANCA at transplant was associated with the development of vascular lesions in the graft but was not significantly correlated with graft survival. Most grafts were lost due to patient death, which was more likely if transplantation occurred less than 12 months following induction of remission of ANCA-positive vasculitis. M. Little. NDT. July 13, 2009. |
| Primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV): comparison of patients with and without cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). PCNSV with CAA appears to form a clinical subset of PCNSV. The vasculitis influences the clinical findings to a greater degree than the presence of amyloid deposits in the vessels. C. Salvarini. Rheumatology. August 27, 2008. |
| Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI): a simple tool for assessing cardiovascular risk in patients with systemic vasculitis. There is an increased prevalence of an abnormal ABPI in patients with systemic vasculitides implying an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. S. R. Sangle. Rheumatology Advance Access. May 22, 2008. |
| Photos of Vasculitis |
| Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center Includes photos of vasculitis rashes, which can vary from small red or purple dots (usually on the legs), to bruise-like patches, to weeping sores. Johns Hopkins. |
| Causes of Vasculitis |
| A case of polymyositis and vasculitis induced by ovulation induction therapy with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). We report a case of vasculitis and histologically proven severe polymyositis developed 5 days after GnRH administration due to ovulation induction in an infertile patient with no previous history of autoimmune diseases. (SpringerLink) I. Lazu’rova’. Clinical Rheumatology. May 2 2010. (Also see: Polymyositis) |
| Vasculitis: mechanisms involved and clinical manifestations. There is evidence, albeit limited, suggesting that ET-1 plays a role in some clinical manifestations of vasculitis. Potentially, endothelin receptor antagonism may have a place in the treatment of specific vascular manifestations of vasculitis as an adjunct to standard therapy with corticosteroids and immunosuppressant agents. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2007, 9(Suppl 2):S9. |
| Exposure to silica and risk of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. Long-term silica exposure may be one of the exogenous factors contributing to ANCA production, however, silica exposure alone, without typical silicosis, was not associated with ANCA positivity. PubMed. Am J Ind Med. 2006 May 11. (Also see: Antibodies, and Causes of Scleroderma: Silica) |
| Diagnosis of Vasculitis |
| Are classification criteria for vasculitis useful in clinical practice? Observations and lessons from Colombia. Current vasculitis classification schemes are designed for classification, rather that diagnosis of disease and do not adequately address some common forms of inflammatory vascular diseases, including those of infectious etiology and unusual etiology seen in clinical practice. P. Patarroyo. Journal of Autoimmune Diseases. February 27, 2009. |
| Diagnosis and therapy of vasculitic neuropathy. Systemic vasculitis has an incidence of 4/100,000 per year and, untreated, has a poor prognosis, which is greatly improved by the use of immunosuppressive treatment. The prognosis of non-systemic vasculitic neuropathies is generally better, although many patients need long term immunosuppression. PubMed. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 2003 Apr;71(4):172-86. |
| Role of imaging in vasculitis and connective tissue diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging is the investigation of choice to detect and monitor brain disease, while computerized tomography is the best procedure for lung disease. However, since most imaging findings are not entirely specific for any given condition, it is important to interpret the results of imaging in the broader clinical context. N. Pipitone MD, PhD. PubMed. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology Vol 22, Issue 6, December 2008, Pages 1075-1091. (Also see: Connective Tissue Disease and Medical Tests) |
| Vasculitis and Rheumatic Diseases |
| Prevalence, predictors and outcome of vascular damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Vascular events (VE) occurred in 26% of SLE patients, predominantly as atherothrombotic disease. VE prevalence increased linearly over time leading to a four-fold risk of mortality. (SageJournals) A. Becker-Merok. Lupus. Vol. 18, No. 6, 508-515. April 2009. (Also see: Lupus) |
| Vasculitis and Scleroderma |
| Disturbed angiogenesis in systemic sclerosis(SSc) high levels of soluble endoglin(sENG). The aim of this study was to investigate, in a cross-sectional study, sENG levels together with other serum vascular markers. This study shows increased values of sENG in a large SSc cohort and a relevant association with a vascular phenotype. J. Wipff. Rheumatology Advance Access. May 13, 2008 (Also see: Antibodies) |
| Systemic Vasculitis In Progressive Systemic Sclerosis: The Frequency, Severity And Stages Of Vasculitis In Various Organs - A Retrospective Clinicopathologic Study Of 11 Autopsy Patients. The high prevalence (incidence) of vasculitis and vascular changes in the lungs, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, and heart should warn to carefully evaluate the clinical and laboratory evidence pointing to involvement of these organs in SSc. The frequently involved gastrointestinal tract may be a good target for biopsy to confirm the presence of systemic vascular changes (and consecutive submucosal fibrosis) in SSc patients. M. Bély. AB0496 EULAR 2007. |
| Urticarial vasculitis appearing in the progression of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We demonstrate that, in the present case, mast cells might be involved in both courses of urticarial vasculitis and SSc as a common factor. PubMed. J Dermatol. 2006 Nov;33(11):792-7. (Also see: Skin Fibrosis, Causes of Scleroderma: Molecular Defect, and Limited Scleroderma) |
| Scleroderma associated with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). When scleroderma patients exhibit atypical features such as normotensive renal failure with signs of active inflammation, the possibility of AAV should always be considered. PubMed. Rheumatol Int. 2005 Jul 13;:1-4. (Also see: Renal Involvement) |
| Silica exposure and systemic vasculitis. A 63-year-old male who worked in Department of Energy facilities for 30 years was exposed to silica, beryllium, various solvents and heavy metals, depleted uranium, and ionizing radiation. The patient's diagnoses included microscopic polyangiitis, systemic necrotizing vasculitis, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and glomerulonephritis. PubMed. Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Dec;111(16):1933-8 (Also see: What is Scleroderma? and Causes of Scleroderma: Environmental) |
| Treatments for Vasculitis |
| Rituximab versus Cyclophosphamide in ANCA-Associated Renal Vasculitis. A rituximab-based regimen was not superior to standard intravenous cyclophosphamide for severe ANCA-associated vasculitis. R.B. Jones, M.R.C.P., M.D. New England Journal of Medicine. Vol 363:211-220. July 15, 2010. No 3. |
| Complete remission of coronary vasculitis in Churg–Strauss Syndrome by prednisone and cyclophosphamide. Prompt therapy with prednisone and cyclophosphamide resulted in the complete resolution of all lesions. (SpringerLink) N. Riksen. Clinical Rheumatology. March 28 2010. |
| Role and place of methotrexate in vasculitis management. Methotrexate is a folic acid analog with a favorable efficacy-to-toxicity ratio that has been used for many years to treat a variety of inflammatory arthropathies, thereby explaining the growing interest in its use for systemic vasculitides. However, it should be prescribed with caution or avoided in vasculitis patients with impaired renal function. (FutureMedicine) C. Pagnoux. International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. December 2009. (Also see: Medications) |
| Biologic therapy in primary systemic vasculitis of the young. Our data provide retrospective evidence of efficacy of biologic therapy, and highlight the associated infectious complications. D. Eleftherion. Rheumatology Advance Access. June 17 2009. |
| Advances in the use of biologic agents for the
treatment of systemic vasculitis. Due to the well
known toxicities of cyclophosphamide, substantial interest exists in finding
other therapies to treat primary systemic vasculitis. Biologic agents
represent the next evolution in treatment for the primary systemic
vasculitides. S. Chung. Current Opinion
in Rheumatology. January 2009. |
| Personal Stories about Vasculitis |
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