What Causes Vasculitis?
Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels,
but what causes the inflammation is often unknown. It is sometimes a side
effect of the bodys immune system response to a recent or chronic
infection. It also can be a side effect of the bodys response to a
medicine. The body sometimes recognizes a medicine as a foreign substance, and
may develop an allergic reaction to try to get rid of it.
Vasculitis is sometimes linked to other diseases,
such as:
- Autoimmune system diseases. These are diseases
that the vasculitis patient may have had for years, in which the bodys
immune system mistakenly attacks the body itself. Examples include systemic
lupus erythematosus (lupus), rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma.
- Blood cancers. These include leukemia and
lymphoma.
|