Vasculitis is a broad group of diseases characterised by the inflammation in the blood vessels wall. This inflammation causes narrowing of the lumen of the vessel and diminished blood flow through the involved vessel. This results in reduced supply of oxygen and essential nutrient to the involved tissue and eventually tissue damage.
What causes vasculitis?
There is no one cause, and in most cases the cause is unknown. Drugs and a variety of infections, particularly those associated with hepatitis, can cause vasculitis. However, most forms of vasculitis are a type of autoimmune disease. This means that the body's defence mechanisms are not doing their normal job: fighting infections and keeping us healthy. Instead, these mechanisms attack the blood vessel wall. This causes the inflammation within vessel wall and damages them.
What are the symptoms of vasculitis?
Symptoms of vasculitis depends on the size of blood vessel affected. Claudication pain (pain in extremity on activity that is relieved by rest), headache, stroke and chest pain are some of the manifestation of large vessel vasculitis. When vasculitis involves medium size blood vessels it leads to fever, gangrenes of fingers and toes, skin ulcers, hypertension, abdominal pain, and neurologic manifestation like stroke, loss of grip strength, foot drop or loss of sensation of particular part of limb. Vasculitis affecting small vessels is characterised by fever, skin rash, joint pain, cough with or without blood in sputum, nose and ear blockage, loss of hearing and other manifestation. Vasculitis affecting small vessels can also affect kidneys.
How is vasculitis diagnosed?
Vasculitis is suspected on the basis of its characteristic signs and symptoms. There is no single test that is confirmatory of vasculitis diagnosis. Many other conditions like infections and various cancers can mimic vasculitis. Blood tests, radiological investigations like x-ray, CT scan and MRI and some time biopsy helps in making diagnosis of vasculitis.
How can vasculitis be treated?
Treatment has improved a lot in recent years. The type of treatment will depend upon:
Medication used in the treatment of vasculitis are steroid, immunosuppressive drugs like cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate (MMF), azathioprine, cyclosporine, methotrexate and biologic drugs like rituximab, tocilizumab.
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