Vasculitis

Vasculitis
The term vasculitis describes a diverse group of inflammatory disorders characterized by multiorgan system vascular involvement, systemic markers of disease (fever, malaise, weight loss, elevated white blood cell count and sedimentation rate), and suspected immunologic origin. Often there are accompanying rheumatologic or cutaneous manifestations such as arthralgias, conjunctivitis, or erythema nodosum. Drugs (amphetamines, cocaine, hydralazine, procainamide), infections (hepatitis B, gonococcus, streptococcus), chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancer are cited as inciting causes for vasculitis. These diseases can be grouped into disorders that affect medium and large blood vessels (polyarteritis nodosa, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, temporal arteritis, Behcet's disease, Kawasaki syndrome, rheumatoid arteritis, relapsing polychondritis) and those that affect smaller vessels (Churg-Strauss syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, essential mixed cryoglobulinemia). In general, the vascular lesions are treated with anti-inflammatory medications. Surgery is indicated for acute complications (bowel infarction, gangrene, or aneurysm rupture) and for chronic ischemic symptoms or large aneurysms in patients with quiescent disease.