Vasculitis
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope - Martin Luther King, Jr.
image by: The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation
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What is Vasculitis?
What is Vasculitis?
As I am busy promoting awareness of my Charity Pop Concert and begging people to join me, it suddenly dawned on me that the people I am asking to support me, have no idea what this disease is, or how it effects anyone. Why would you know about it, when I only learnt of its existence eight months ago when I was given the diagnosis?
If you research the definition you will find something like ‘Vasculitis is a rare inflammatory disease which means inflammation of the blood vessels. Any vessels in any part of the body can be affected…’ It is an Auto-Immune disease, you may have heard of Lupus or MS, Vasculitis attacks the body in a similar way but can…
Resources
The Emergency Medicine Approach to Vasculitides
Diagnosis is difficult due to the multitude of symptoms and often vague patient complaints. Almost all patients have diffuse pain, arthralgia/arthritis, elevated temperature, fatigue, and weight loss.
You Don’t Look Sick: ‘My doctor said my symptoms were just the after-effects of having children
‘I describe the illness to my children as a volcano, sometimes quiet, sometimes erupting, explaining that the eruption could be a small gurgle or a life-changing blast. All explosions leave damage in their wake.’
Vasculitis syndrome—diagnosis and therapy
Systemic vasculitis is divided into two main categories: primary vasculitis syndrome and secondary vasculitis syndrome. The former is a type of vasculitis caused by inflammation of the blood vessels, while the latter is induced by the underlying conditions, including connective tissue disease, tumors, infection, and drug allergy.
Vasculitis: Rethinking Therapeutic and Diagnostic Approaches
It’s a unique problem for this uncommon disease and successfully treating this manifestation is a major unmet need — Robert Spiera MD
What is vasculitis?
One of the more common types of vasculitis (especially in people age 50 and older) is giant cell arteritis, which affects medium-to-larger arteries in the head, neck, upper body, and arms.
A closer look at the autoimmune disease vasculitis
Vasculitis is actually a family of at least 15 forms of this disease group and one not so rare when all those who have some form (perhaps as many as 3 million) are added together.
Getting the Right Care for Painful Autoimmune Conditions
According to the American College of Rheumatology, about 15 percent of people with polymyalgia rheumatica will also develop temporal arteritis, and half of people with temporal arteritis will also have polymyalgia rheumatica, so anyone with either of these conditions should be alert to the symptoms of the other.
The Negative Consequences of a Missed Diagnosis
Patient complaints of overall pain and general malaise can send providers in a myriad of directions, seeking the right diagnosis. In many cases, vasculitis isn’t at the top of their list because there are very few symptoms that point to it directly.
Vasculitides
Because vasculitides are rare and present with so many varying symptoms, they may take years to be diagnosed. Physicians suspect vasculitis when they see a cluster of abnormal symptoms, “telling” findings on physical examination, abnormal test results, and diagnostic imaging studies.
What Is Vasculitis? Parents Launch Website To Explain Chronic Illness After Daughter's Death
It is a disease which is unheard of by many people and has symptoms that are common to other conditions.
What is Vasculitis?
How rare is this disease? Well let’s put it this way – take £2.00 and play the lottery, you will have more chance of winning that than being diagnosed with Vasculitis.
ANCA Vasculitis News
ANCA Vasculitis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease.
Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation
UK support for vasculitis awareness, education. research and patient support.
Vasculitis Foundation
The Vasculitis Foundation has developed this resource to assist patients, family members and medical professionals in learning about vasculitis. VF welcomes and encourages you to use this site to find and share information.
Vasculitis Foundation Canada
Vasculitis Foundation Canada mission is to encourage and support research efforts for the cause and cure for all forms of vasculitis.
Vasculitis UK
Here you will find a wealth of accurate and up to date information about everything to do with vasculitis. This site is for everyone; whether you have a casual or a more direct interest. Vasculitis UK is run by people with vasculitis for people with vasculitis and for their families and careers.
European Vasculitis Society
EUVAS is an open collaboration of physicians interested in research and education in vasculitis.
Living with Vasculitis
I am a 19 year old female who has been living with a rare medical disorder called vasculitis and an underlining immune system disorder called common variable immune deficiency. It has been challenging and scary but it has made me the person I am today and has taught me so much.
The Prednisone Project: Living With Vasculitis
This blog is for all of you out there living with some unkillable monster inside of you. It does not have to be Vasculitis. This blog with cover my daily struggles and triumphs with Vasculitis, as well as advice on diet, exercise, and medicine.
American College of Rheumatology
We do not know what causes most types of vasculitis. Genetic factors (different genes) appear be somewhat important in the disease. Vasculitis is thought to be an autoimmune disease, which means the body comes under attack by its own immune system. In vasculitis, the immune system attacks blood vessels.
Cleveland Clinic
The precise treatment of vasculitis depends on the specific type of vasculitis and the areas/organs that are involved. Some measures that may be necessary include the use of steroids, such as prednisone. For more serious types of vasculitis, cytotoxic (causing a toxic effect in the cells) medications are used.
Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center
The vasculitic diseases are serious disorders, and often require potentially dangerous treatments. For our readers’ benefit, we discuss most of the potential side—effects of medications used in the treatment of vasculitis. All of the medicines have a frighteningly long list of possible side—effects, but we emphasize that many of the side—effects can be avoided through careful management by experienced physicians.
MayoClinic
Vasculitis is an inflammation of your blood vessels. Also called angiitis, vasculitis causes changes in the walls of your blood vessels, including thickening, weakening, narrowing and scarring. Inflammation can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) and can be so severe that the tissues and organs supplied by the affected vessels don't get enough blood. The shortage of blood can result in organ and tissue damage, even death.
MedicineNet
Each of the vasculitis diseases is defined by certain patterns of distribution of blood vessel involvement, particular organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. As a group, these diseases are referred to as vasculitides.
MedlinePlus
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.
Patient
Vasculitis describes a condition in which there is inflammation of the blood vessels. They may be damaged by the inflammatory process. Vasculitis can be primary, or secondary (as a result of infection, or in association with some chronic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis).
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