The term vasculitis refers to inflammation of the blood vessel that may result in loss of integrity of the blood vessel walls and blockages of blood flow from the thickened vessel walls to other organs. Vasculitis may be a primary problem, or may be seen in association with other rheumatic diseases such as lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Primary vasculitis is divided into 3 major types based on the size of the blood vessels involved: small vessel vasculitis, medium vessel vasculitis and large vessel vasculitis. The clinical symptoms a patient may have depends on which of the above blood vessel sizes are involved. Angiitis and arteritis are similar to the term vasculitis which, as above, means inflammation of blood vessels. Other shared symptoms can include fevers, fatigue and joint pains.

Small Vessel Vasculitis

Patients with small vessel vasculitis may have a certain type of rash called leukocytoclastic vasculitis, inflammation of the small blood vessels or capillaries of the lung leading to bleeding or coughing up blood, inflammation of the small blood vessels in the eyes causing redness and pain, inflammation of the blood vessels in the kidney leading to kidney issues or blood in the urine.

Examples of small vessel vasculitis include Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA), Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA) and Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA).

Medium Vessel Vasculitis

Patients with medium vessel vasculitis may have inflammation of deeper vessels in the skin causing ulcers, nerve inflammation leading to numbness and tingling or weakness, heart and intestinal blood vessel inflammation causing pain.

Examples of medium vessel vasculitis include Polyarteritis Nodosa and Kawasaki’s disease in children.

Large Vessel Vasculitis

Patients with large vessel vasculitis may have headache, visual disturbances, aneurysms, chest pain and signs of poor flow to the extremities.

Examples of large vessel vasculitis include Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu’s Arteritis.

Vasculitis Treatment

Treatment of vasculitis is aimed at reducing inflammation in the arteries. Dr. Jain will complete a full history and exam and likely order laboratory and/or imaging tests to make a diagnosis. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Jain, vasculitis specialist →

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