Vasculitis | EPFL Graph Search

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Vasculitis is a group of disorders that destroy blood vessels by inflammation. Both arteries and veins are affected. Lymphangitis (inflammation of lymphatic vessels) is sometimes considered a type of vasculitis. Vasculitis is primarily caused by leukocyte migration and resultant damage. Although both occur in vasculitis, inflammation of veins (phlebitis) or arteries (arteritis) on their own are separate entities. Possible signs and symptoms include: General symptoms: fever, unintentional weight loss Skin: palpable purpura, livedo reticularis Muscles and joints: muscle pain or inflammation, joint pain or joint swelling Nervous system: mononeuritis multiplex, headache, stroke, tinnitus, reduced visual acuity, acute visual loss Heart and arteries: heart attack, high blood pressure, gangrene Respiratory tract: nosebleeds, bloody cough, lung infiltrates GI tract: abdominal pain, bloody stool, perforations (hole in the GI tract) Kidneys: inflammation of the kidney's filtration units (glomeruli) Vasculitis can be classified by the cause, the location, the type of vessel or the size of vessel. Underlying cause. For example, the cause of syphilitic aortitis is infectious (aortitis simply refers to inflammation of the aorta, which is an artery.) However, the causes of many forms of vasculitis are poorly understood. There is usually an immune component, but the trigger is often not identified. In these cases, the antibody found is sometimes used in classification, as in ANCA-associated vasculitides. Clinical studies with immunosuppressive drugs targeting specific cytokines and cells can also be used to understand the heterogeneous immunopathogenic mechanisms of vasculitis and support a mechanistic immunological classification. Location of the affected vessels. For example, ICD-10 classifies "vasculitis limited to skin" with skin conditions (under "L"), and "necrotizing vasculopathies" (corresponding to systemic vasculitis) with musculoskeletal system and connective tissue conditions (under "M").

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Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common symptoms include painful and swollen joints, fever, chest pain, hair loss, mouth ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, feeling tired, and a red rash which is most commonly on the face. Often there are periods of illness, called flares, and periods of remission during which there are few symptoms.

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