Living With Vasculitis

General Information About Outcomes

The course of vasculitis is unpredictable and depends on the type and severity of the disease. Vasculitis may:

• Go into remission. If caught early it may respond well to treatment and go into remission.
• Reoccur. These reoccurrences are called flares, and they are generally difficult to predict. Flares can sometimes happen when the doctor takes the patient off of a medicine or alters the dose or type. Also, certain types of vasculitis are more likely to flare than others, and some patients are more likely to experience flares than others.
• Remain chronic without remission. In these cases, vasculitis can usually be controlled with continuing medicine treatments for an extended period of time.
• Not respond well to treatment. This can lead to disability or even death. This is rare.

Ongoing Health Care Needs

The medicines used to treat vasculitis can have significant side effects. Your doctor may adjust the type or dose of medicine you take to lessen the side effects.

In cases in which remission occurs, the doctor may carefully withdraw medicines but still require careful monitoring of flares. Patients who continue taking medicines should stay under the careful watch of their doctor to monitor and control side effects. Patients also should always monitor their health, side effects, and symptoms and discuss any changes with their doctor.

Support Groups

• Central Nervous System Vasculitis Foundation
• American Behcet’s Disease Association
• Churg-Strauss Syndrome International Support Group
• Takayasu’s Arteritis Research Association
• Vasculitis Foundation
• Lupus Foundation of America Support Groups