On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. It happens when the body's immune system attacks the blood vessel by mistake. It can happen because of an infection, a medicine, or another disease. 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. The bulge is called an aneurysm. If it bursts, it can 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.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Vasculitis (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
• Vasculitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Vasculitis in the Nervous System (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• What is Vasculitis? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• CT Angiography (CTA) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• MR Angiography (MRA) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Methotrexate (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Prednisone (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)

Related Issues

• Immune System & Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• About Aortitis (Vasculitis Foundation)
• Buerger's Disease (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Central Nervous System Vasculitis (Vasculitis Foundation)
• Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis (Vasculitis Foundation)
• Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, formerly Churg-Strauss Syndrome (EGPA) (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
• Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (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 Vasculitis Center)
• Urticarial Vasculitis (Vasculitis Foundation)

Genetics

• Adenosine deaminase 2 deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Vasculitis (National Institutes of Health)

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

• Article: Interobserver Variability in Cardiovascular FDG PET/CT Analysis in Large Vessel Vasculitis.
• Article: Study on the correlation between atmospheric pollutants and the development of...
• Article: Anti-endothelial cell antibodies in pathogenesis of vasculitis.
• Vasculitis -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Vasculitis Terms A to Z (Vasculitis Foundation)

Find an Expert

• Autoimmune Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Children

• Immunoglobulin A (IgA) Vasculitis (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse)
• Kawasaki Disease: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Aortic angiography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cerebral angiography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hypersensitivity vasculitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• IgA vasculitis - Henoch-Schonlein purpura (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Necrotizing vasculitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Polyarteritis nodosa (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Takayasu arteritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish