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
|