User:Mr. Ibrahem/Vasculitis
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vasculitis is a group of disorders that involves inflammation of blood vessels.[3][6] Symptoms may include fever, weight loss, tiredness, bleeding, and tender blood vessels.[3][4] Further symptoms may vary depending on the location and type of vessel affected.[3] Complications may include stroke, heart attacks, aortic dissection, kidney failure, and coughing up blood.[3]
Vasculitis | |
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Other names | Vasculitides,[1] angiitis[2] |
Smaller and larger areas of bleeding into the skin on the lower limb due to medication-induced vasculitis. | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Rheumatology |
Symptoms | Fever, weight loss, tiredness, bleeding, tender blood vessels[3][4] |
Complications | Stroke, heart attacks, aortic dissection, kidney failure, coughing up blood[3] |
Usual onset | Variable[4] |
Types | Large: Giant cell arteritis, Takayasu disease, Behcet disease[3][5] Medium: Kawasaki disease, polyarteritis nodosa[3][5] Small: Microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis[3][5] |
Causes | Often unknown[3] |
Diagnostic method | Blood tests, medical imaging, biopsy[5] |
Differential diagnosis | Infective endocarditis, histoplasmosis, gonorrhea, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura |
Treatment | Depends on the type, often initially with steroids[3] |
There are more than 30 types of vasculitis, which may involve arteries, veins, or capillaries.[3][5] Types that involve large vessels include giant cell arteritis (GCA), Takayasu disease, and Behcet disease; types that involve medium vessels include Kawasaki disease and polyarteritis nodosa (PAN); and types that involve small vessels include microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA).[3][5] There; however, may be overlap between these groups.[5]
The cause is often unknown, though certain cases may be triggered by an infection, medication, or other disorder.[3][5] Risk factors depend on the condition in question.[3] The underlying mechanism is often that of an autoimmune disease with neutrophils entering the inner lining of the vessel.[6][4] The diagnosis may be suspected based on blood tests, such as ESR or CRP, medical imaging, and biopsy.[3][5]
Treatment depends on the type, though steroids are often used initially.[3] About 3 per 100,000 people are newly affected by a systemic vasculitis per year in Europe and the United States.[3] In those over the age of 50 GCA newly affects about 24 per 100,000 per year.[3] Different types of disease are more common within certain age groups.[4] Overall males and females are affected with similar frequency.[2] While the condition has been described since at least the 11th century the first detailed description is attributed to Kussmaul and Maier in 1866.[7]