Systemic Vasculitis Treatment

Systemic vasculitis is a rare autoimmune disease that causes the blood vessels to become inflamed. There are many types of vasculitis. The type usually depends on the location of the blood vessels and the symptoms involved. Systemic vasculitis can affect the lungs, kidney, liver, heart or any organ. Treatment usually includes a specific protocol of medication.

Facts

• Vasculitis can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic). The inflammation can cause blood vessels to become weak, thick or narrow. Severe vasculitis can deprive organs and tissues of oxygen-rich blood and can cause damage. Symptoms may include fever, malaise (feeling ill), weakness, fatigue, poor appetite or weight loss. Each type of vasculitis has specific signs and symptoms.

Significance

• Because vasculitis can be what is called primary, or the source of the disease, or can be secondary, a result of another illness, it is important to determine the specific type so appropriate treatment can be administered. According to Dr. Douglas Roane of David Grant Medical Center, inappropriate or inadequate treatment of primary systemic vasculitis can have severe consequences.

Diagnosis

• There is no single, clear cut test for vasculitis. Diagnosing systemic vasculitis involves consideration of many factors. In addition to a physical exam, a diagnosis includes a patient's medical history, current and past symptoms, blood work and sometimes X-rays, plus CT scans or biopsies. Blood abnormalities can include irregular white blood count, anemia, high platelet count, autoimmune and antibody indicators. The initial part of diagnosis for suspected vasculitis is spent excluding secondary causes or other conditions that mimic vasculitis.

Treatment

• Most treatments of vasculitis involve steroids to stop inflammation. Sometimes this can involve high doses of steroids, such as prednisone. Or it may involve an intravenous "pulse" steroid in which therapy is administered through an IV. When treating very serious forms of vasculitis, the protocol may also include oral chemotherapy drugs, such as Cytoxan. This form of treatment destroys cells that are involved in the process of causing vasculitis. However, these medicines also damage normal cells, so treatment is monitored very closely. Sometimes antibiotics are given as a precaution along with other medicines. Steroids and chemotherapy drugs compromise the immune system and antibiotics help avoid secondary infections.

Types

• The most common forms of vasculitis include Behçet syndrome, Buerger disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome, giant cell arteritis, Henoch-Schönlein, Kawasaki disease, microscopic polyarteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, polymyalgia rheumatic, rheumatoid vasculitis and Wegener granulomatosis.