Many systemic pathologies are extremely rare, and most people do not know anything about them. One of these diagnoses is vasculitis - what kind of illness is it, what are its signs, consequences and treatment options for patients is usually unknown. Therefore, before the start of therapy, the specialist conducts a detailed consultation with the mandatory participation of an immunologist, because the pathogenesis of the body's defense system is at the heart of the disease.
What is this "vasculitis" disease, and what are its symptoms?
The described disease is a whole group of ailments that combine a common mechanism of pathology - inflammation of the walls of arteries, capillaries, venules, arterioles and veins. In fact, vasculitis is a disease of blood vessels and blood coming through them to soft tissues and organs undergoing functional and structural changes.
Simplified classification of the disease:
- Primary vasculitis is an autoimmune inflammation of blood vessels that has arisen for unknown reasons.
- Secondary vasculitis - pathological disorders that appear in response to other systemic ailments.
In medicine, the disease in question is classified as follows:
1. Vasculitis of small vessels:
- Charge-Strauss syndrome or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis;
- anti-GBM disease;
- cryoglobulinemic vasculitis;
- Wegener's disease or granulomatosis with polyangiitis;
- Immunoglobulin-A-vasculitis or purple Shonlein-Genocha;
- anti-C1q-vasculitis or hypocomplexary urticaria syndrome;
- microscopic polyangiitis.
2. Vasculitis of medium vessels:
- nodular periarteritis or nodular polyarteritis;
- Kawasaki disease .
3. Vasculitis of large vessels:
- arteritis Takayasu;
- Horton's disease or giant cell arteritis.
4. Vasculitis of vessels of various sizes:
- Kogan's syndrome;
- Behcet's disease.
5. Vasculitis of organs:
- cutaneous arteritis;
- primary angiitis of the central nervous system;
- isolated aortitis;
- leucocytoclastic cutaneous angiitis and others.
6. Systemic vasculitis:
- rheumatoid;
- lupus;
- sarcoidosis and others.
7. Secondary vasculitis:
- associated with viruses;
- paraneoplastic;
- associated with medicines and others.
Common symptoms of pathology:
- elevated temperature;
- pallor;
- fatigue;
- lack of appetite;
- weakness.
The specific clinical picture of vasculitis depends on its variety, affected organs and systems, the intensity of inflammation and other factors. Therefore, only a physician can diagnose the disease on the basis of a number of physiological tests, laboratory tests, instrumental studies.
What is this allergic vasculitis?
As the name implies, the presented form of pathology is the inflammation of the blood vessels against the background of an allergic reaction. Its main symptom - skin rashes, which can have a different character. In accordance with it, allergic vasculitis is considered a separate disease, they are classified into several types:
- erythema nodosum - the appearance of seals under the skin of the shin;
- Arteriolitis Rutera - rashes in the form of papules, spots, "stars", points in combination with poor health;
- hemorrhagic vasculitis - that the symptoms are accompanied by this disease is still unknown, it is usually found accidentally on dopplerography (in the vessels there are microthrombi);
- hemosiderosis - the appearance of orange-brown pigmentation on the skin;
- necrotizing vasculitis - the gradual death of tissues after the onset of epidermis rash.
What is this "rheumatoid vasculitis" disease?
This type of pathology is a kind of secondary systemic inflammation of the vascular walls, developing as a result of the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
It is known that this kind of vasculitis is responsible for diseases of the lungs, nervous system, skin and nail damage, heart failure (pericarditis). However, clear symptoms of the disease are observed in less than 1% of patients, therefore the described form of the inflammatory process is diagnosed already in the late stages, which makes it difficult to treat both rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis.