Patient education: Vasculitis (The Basics)

What is vasculitis? — This is inflammation in the blood vessels. It can damage the blood vessels and keep them from carrying blood to body parts that need it. Vasculitis can affect many different parts of the body.

There are many different types of vasculitis (table 1). Some are mild, and others are serious or even life-threatening.

Vasculitis sometimes happens with another disease, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. But it can also happen in people without other health problems.

What are the symptoms of vasculitis? — The main symptoms can include:

●Muscle and joint pain

●Lack of appetite – Some people lose weight without trying to.

●Belly pain

●Brown or dark-colored urine

●Numbness, weakness, or pain in the hands, feet, or other parts of the body

●Not feeling a pulse in the arteries

These symptoms can also be caused by other diseases and conditions.

Will I need tests? — Yes. Vasculitis symptoms can be a lot like symptoms of other diseases, so tests are important to help doctors learn the cause of symptoms. Tests can include:

●Blood and urine tests

●Imaging tests, such as X-rays or an MRI – These create pictures of the inside of the body.

●Nerve conduction studies – These check whether nerves are carrying electrical signals the right way. They can show nerve damage caused by vasculitis.

●Lung function tests – These measure how much air you can blow out of your lungs and how fast you can blow. They can show lung damage caused by vasculitis.

●Biopsy – A doctor takes a small sample of tissue from an affected body part. Another doctor looks at the sample under a microscope. This can show signs of vasculitis and help doctors learn what type of vasculitis someone has.

●Arteriogram – A doctor puts a thin tube into a blood vessel in a leg or arm. They move the tube into blood vessels in the affected body part, such as the heart. Then, the doctor injects a dye that shows up on an X-ray. The dye helps show changes in blood vessels caused by vasculitis.

How is vasculitis treated? — It depends on the type of vasculitis you have. Treatments include:

●Steroid medicines, such as prednisone – These can reduce or control inflammation. Because steroids can cause serious side effects, doctors try to give them for as short a time as possible.

●Strong medicines that "turn off" the immune system – These include cyclophosphamide (brand name: Procytox) or rituximab (brand name: Rituxan). They can be taken along with steroid medicines. Doctors use them to treat the most severe vasculitis. Some people refer to cyclophosphamide as "Cytoxan."

●Other medicines that partly "turn off" the immune system – These include azathioprine (sample brand names: Azasan, Imuran), methotrexate (sample brand names: Rheumatrex, Trexall), or mycophenolate mofetil (sample brand name: CellCept). These are not as strong as medicines like cyclophosphamide. Doctors use them to treat less severe types of vasculitis, or to switch patients off of cyclophosphamide after the worst of their symptoms are controlled.

Vasculitis can sometimes be caused by a reaction to certain medicines. If you get it, stopping the medicine might be the only treatment you need.

What if I want to get pregnant? — Talk to your doctor or nurse before you start trying. Some medicines for vasculitis are not safe to take while pregnant. You might need to get your symptoms under control or switch medicines first.

What will my life be like? — People with vasculitis need regular exams and tests to check for problems that vasculitis can cause. Take your medicines exactly as prescribed, and tell your doctor or nurse about any side effects. The right treatment can help you control symptoms and stay as healthy as possible.

Even though some types of vasculitis are very serious, doctors and nurses know a lot about how to manage vasculitis, and many people with vasculitis live a long time. Sometimes, symptoms even go away for long periods of time.

More on this topic

Patient education: IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein purpura) (The Basics)
Patient education: Kawasaki disease (The Basics)
Patient education: HIV and AIDS (The Basics)
Patient education: Lupus (The Basics)
Patient education: Polyarteritis nodosa (The Basics)
Patient education: Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis (The Basics)
Patient education: Rheumatoid arthritis (The Basics)
Patient education: Oral steroid medicines (The Basics)
Patient education: Behçet syndrome (The Basics)

Patient education: Vasculitis (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Peripheral artery disease and claudication (Beyond the Basics)