Key Points

• Vasculitis is an inflammation of blood vessels in the body. In vasculitis, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own blood vessels, causing them to become inflamed.
• The inflammation can cause disruption of blood flow to parts of the body, which can lead to tissue damage or even death.
• Vasculitis can affect any blood vessel or organ in the body.
• The exact cause of the inflammation in vasculitis is unknown, but it is sometimes a side effect of the body’s normal immune system response.
• Vasculitis can affect people of all ages and either gender. Some types of vasculitis are more likely to occur in certain populations than others.
• There are many types of vasculitis, and the signs and symptoms vary widely in type and severity. They may be specific and affect a particular organ, or they may be nonspecific, causing general aches, pains, and fatigue (feeling tired).
• Laboratory tests are usually performed to confirm a diagnosis of vasculitis. There are many different tests that may be run, depending on the signs and symptoms present and where they are in the body.
• Vasculitis is typically treated with prescription medicines with the goal of stopping the inflammation in the blood vessels and relieving symptoms.
• Corticosteroid medicines or cytotoxic medicines are typically the drugs used to treat vasculitis.
• The course of a case of vasculitis is often difficult to predict. Vasculitis may go into remission, reoccur, remain chronic, or, in rare cases, lead to severe disability or death.