Vasculitis

Also called: Angiitis

Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. It happens when the body's immune system attacks the blood vessel by mistake. The cause is often unknown. Vasculitis can affect arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body's organs. Veins are the vessels that carry blood back to the heart. Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that connect the small arteries and veins.

When a blood vessel becomes inflamed, it can

• Narrow, making it more difficult for blood to get through
• Close off completely so that blood can't get through
• Stretch and weaken so much that it bulges and may burst and cause dangerous bleeding inside the body

Symptoms of vasculitis can vary, but usually include fever, swelling and a general sense of feeling ill. The main goal of treatment is to stop the inflammation. Steroids and other medicines to stop inflammation are often helpful.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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• Vasculitis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Vasculitis(Patient Education Institute)

  Also available in Spanish

• Vasculitis Syndromes of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment	Specific Conditions Related Issues	Tutorials
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Anatomy/Physiology Clinical Trials Journal Articles	Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations	Children

• Overviews
  • JAMA Patient Page: Vasculitis(American Medical Association)

    Also available in Spanish

  • Vasculitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Vasculitis Center: Frequently Asked Questions(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Vasculitis Syndromes of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Diagnosis/Symptoms
  • Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

  • MR Angiography (MRA)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

  • Ultrasound - Vascular(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)

    Also available in Spanish

  • What Is Vasculitis: Diagnosis(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • What Is Vasculitis: Symptoms(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Treatment
  • Vasculitis Treatments(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Specific Conditions
  • Buerger's Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Central Nervous System Vasculitis(Johns Hopkins University)
  • Churg-Strauss Syndrome(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Cryoglobulinemia(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Microscopic Polyangiitis(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Polyarteritis Nodosa(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Rheumatoid Vasculitis(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
  • Takayasu's Arteritis(Johns Hopkins University)
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• Related Issues
  • Immune System and Its Link to Rheumatic Diseases(American College of Rheumatology)
  • Vascular Pain(Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
  • Vasculitis(Lupus Foundation of America)
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• Tutorials
  • Vasculitis(Patient Education Institute)

    Also available in Spanish

  Return to top
• Anatomy/Physiology
  • Atlas of the Body: The Circulatory System -- Arterial(American Medical Association)
  • Atlas of the Body: The Circulatory System -- Venous(American Medical Association)
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• Clinical Trials
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Vasculitis(National Institutes of Health)
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• Journal Articles

  References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: Intrauterine inflammation, neonatal sepsis, and chronic lung disease: a 13-year...
  • Article: Experimental autoimmune vasculitis: an animal model of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated...
  • Article: Interleukin-17 and interferon-gamma are produced concomitantly by human coronary artery-infiltrating...
  • Vasculitis -- see more articles
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• Dictionaries/Glossaries
  • What Is Vasculitis: Glossary of Terms(Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
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• Directories
  • AVF Member Directory(American Venous Forum)
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• Organizations
  • American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

    Also available in Spanish

  Return to top
• Children
  • Henoch-Schönlein Purpura(National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse)
  • Kawasaki Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Kawasaki Disease(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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• Related Topics

  • Behcet's Syndrome
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Vascular Diseases
  • Wegener's Granulomatosis
  • Blood, Heart and Circulation
  
  

• National Institutes of Health

  • The primary NIH organization for research on Vasculitis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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