What is vasculitis and how to treat it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

This disease can manifest itself in completely different ways.

What is vasculitis and how dangerous it is

Vasculitis Vasculitis - Symptoms and causes / Mayo Clinic is an inflammation of the walls of blood vessels. Sometimes the disease is called angiitis. The difference between these terms is purely linguistic: "vasculitis" comes from the Latin word "vessel" (vasculum), and angiitis - from exactly the same, but ancient Greek (ἀγγεῖον).

Vasculitis Can Infect Vasculitis | Angiitis / MedlinePlus veins, arteries and tiny capillaries. When a blood vessel becomes inflamed, it swells and becomes narrower. As a result, blood flow becomes more difficult. And this can lead to two serious complications:

• The vessel is completely blocked, the blood flow in it stops. As a result, the areas of organs and tissues that received food through this vessel begin to die off.
• The walls of the vessel are strongly stretched to allow the normal volume of blood to pass through. This stretch is called an aneurysm. If the overstretched vessel wall bursts, it can cause internal bleeding. Sometimes deadly.

Where does vasculitis come from?

Doctors don't know for sure. It is known that sometimes vasculitis is associated with genetics and is inherited. But more often it happens that a person's immune system goes crazy and mistakenly begins to attack the cells of the blood vessels of his own body.

Because of what this is happening, it is not completely clear. However, doctors have discovered several factors that precede this immune breakdown:

• Acute infectious diseases. During them, viruses, bacteria, fungi sometimes penetrate the walls of blood vessels, which, possibly, causes increased activity of the immune system.
• Chronic infections. For example, hepatitis B and C.
• Causes of Vasculitis / Johns Hopkins Allergic-type reactions to new medications or toxins that have entered the body.
• Diseases of the immune system. This could be, say, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or lupus.
• Blood cancer.

This is not a complete list. But it is still impossible to make it exhaustive. Researchers honestly admit that very often they simply do not understand why the vessels are inflamed in a particular case.

How to recognize vasculitis

There is no definite answer here either. The fact is that there are many different types of vasculitis - depending on the type of affected vessels, their location and other factors. And all of these types have different symptoms.

So, the characteristic signs of giant cell arteritis (a type of vasculitis that affects the vessels of the head and neck) are aches and soreness around the temples, pain when the jaws move, and headaches. And the manifestations of Kawasaki disease - vasculitis, in which the vessels throughout the body in children become inflamed - include prolonged high fever, skin rashes, and reddening of the whites of the eyes.

However, all types of vasculitis have something in common. All of them are systemic diseases. That is, it is not a specific organ that suffers from them, but the organism as a whole. At the level of symptoms, this is manifested as follows: a person is frankly feeling bad.

People with vasculitis usually complain of one or more of the following:

• high fever;
• fatigue, which is not clear where it came from;
• rapid pulse;
• indistinct, spilled all over the body pains that are difficult to define. For example, the stomach aches, but at what point - it is impossible to concretize.

Other characteristic Vasculitis - Symptoms and causes / Mayo Clinic and common symptoms depend on which organ or part of the body is most affected by vascular inflammation:

• Leather. Here vasculitis manifests itself as purplish-red spots that rise slightly above the surface. This symptom is called palpable, that is, one that can be recognized by touch, purple.
• Lungs. Sometimes shortness of breath and even coughing up blood occurs.
• Digestive system. In this case, the person may suffer from regular vague pain that appears after eating. There are ulcers and tiny perforations in the intestines, which causes blood to appear in the stool.
• Arms and legs. Sometimes vasculitis causes numbness or weakness in a specific limb. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet may swell or harden.
• Eyes. Most often, with vasculitis, they turn red, itchy. Giant cell arteritis can cause double vision and temporary or permanent blindness in one or both eyes. Sometimes this is the first sign of illness.
• Hearing organs. Dizziness, tinnitus, and severe hearing loss may occur.
• Nose, sinuses. Vasculitis in this area makes itself felt by Symptoms of Vasculitis / Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center with a feeling of nasal congestion, persistent runny nose and other symptoms resembling sinusitis. But unlike real sinusitis, therapy in this case does not help well.

What to do if you suspect vasculitis

If you have any symptoms that are similar to vascular inflammation, see a physician. The manifestations of vasculitis often coincide with those of other Vasculitis / U. S. Department of Health & Human Services of Diseases. For example, numbness and weakness in the limbs can indicate neuropathy, pain and itching in the eyes - about an allergic reaction, shortness of breath and coughing up blood - about serious lung infections. Therefore, it is important to make a correct diagnosis.

To do this, your doctor will ask you to be tested. It can include Vasculitis - Diafnosis and Treatment / Mayo Clinic in itself:

• blood tests;
• visual tests. This is the name of research that allows you to visually see changes in certain organs and tissues: X-ray, ultrasound, computed and magnetic resonance imaging (CT and MRI);
• angiography. This is a specific study of blood vessels, when a special dye is injected into an artery or vein using a flexible catheter, and then X-rays are taken to see its outline;
• biopsy. During this procedure, a sample of tissue that may be affected by vasculitis will be taken in order to accurately determine the inflammation;
• Vasculitis / U. S. Department of Health & Human Services to help rule out other conditions that manifest themselves as vasculitis. These are usually cancer, infections, migraines.

Depending on the test results, the therapist will prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialized specialist - usually a rheumatologist. Some types of vasculitis, such as Kawasaki disease, are treated only in a hospital.

How to treat vasculitis

Sometimes vasculitis goes away on its own Vasculitis - Symptoms and causes / Mayo Clinic. But this is rare.

Most often, vascular inflammation needs to be treated, and rather aggressive drugs Vasculitis / American College of Rheumatology are used for therapy:

• corticosteroids. Such drugs effectively reduce inflammation, but can cause serious adverse reactions Vasculitis - Diafnosis and Treatment / Mayo Clinic: sudden weight gain, increased risk of diabetes, weakened bones;
• immunosuppressants. These drugs suppress immune activity, which is often the main cause of vasculitis. They also have long-term side effects, but they are considered less serious than with corticosteroids;
• medicines designed to treat other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

In severe cases of vasculitis, intravenous immunoglobulins or plasmapheresis may be prescribed. This is the name of the procedure during which some of your blood is taken from you, cleansed of unwanted elements and returned back into the bloodstream. And if the doctor detects an aneurysm and fears that the protruding wall of the vessel will burst, a surgical operation will be required. It consists in bypassing the affected vessel: the doctor will create a new artificial path for blood bypassing the stretched area.

Only a doctor can decide which of the therapy options to choose.

Unfortunately, vasculitis cannot always be cured and it can stay with you forever Vasculitis / American College of Rheumatology. In this case, you will need to take medications prescribed by doctors on an ongoing basis. But therapy is often successful, although the risk of inflammation persists. In this case, they say Vasculitis / U. S. Department of Health & Human Services that vasculitis is in remission. If this is your option, you will need to monitor your health in order to see a doctor in time if symptoms appear.