Vasculitis overview

Vasculitis
Overview
Classification Large-sized vessel vasculitis Takayasu's Arteritis Temporal Arteritis Medium-sized vessel vasculitis Kawasaki's Disease Polyarteritis Nodosa Small-sized vessel vasculitis Churg-Strauss Syndrome Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis Essential cryoglobulinemic vasculitis Henoch-Schonlein Purpura Microscopic polyangiitis Wegener's Granulomatosis Variable-sized vessel vasculitis Sjogren syndrome Cogan syndrome Single organ vasculitis Primary central nervous system angiitis
Causes
Differential Diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: M.Umer Tariq [2]

Overview

Vasculitis (plural: vasculitides), a group of diseases featuring inflammation of the wall of blood vessels including veins (phlebitis), arteries (arteritis) and capillaries due to leukocyte migration and resultant damage. While most vasculitides are rare, they generally affect several organ systems and can cause severe disability.