vasculitis

Vasculitis would be the inflammation of a blood vessel. It is associated with a number of diseases including Henoch-Schonlein Purpura.

Swelling of blood vessels can be caused by any number of things. If they rupture from the swelling, bruises will form, if not, the skin in effected areas will likely appear very red and tender.

Vasculitis is often painful, and can cause internal hemorrhaging quite easily.

Vasculitis is inflammation of a blood vessel. It is as generic of a term as “sprain.” To get more specific, you must know what kind of vasculitis you are talking about.

Attempts to classify the vasculitides (plural of vasulitis) have raised great controversy, mostly because as a group of disorders they are heterogeneous but overlapping. The most common grouping are into primary, where the vasulitis exists as a entity of itself, and secondary, where it is due to or associated with another disease condition. The primary grouping is then subdivided based on the size/location of the vessels involved. The following is the classification of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology

PRIMARY VASCULITIS

• Vasculitis Affecting Predominantly Large-, Medium-, and Small-sized Blood Vessels
  • Giant cell (temporal) arteritis (GCA)
  • Takayasu's arteritis (TA)
  • Isolated angiitis of the central nervous system
• Vasculitis Affecting Predominantly Medium-and Small-sized Blood Vessels
  • Polyarteritis Nodosa
  • Microscopic Polyangiitis
  • Wegener's Granulomatosis
  • Churg-Strauss Syndrome
  • Buerger's Disease (Thromboangiitis obliterans)
• Vasculitis Affecting Predominantly Small-sized Blood Vessels
  • Henoch-Schönlein purpura
  • Erythema elevatum diutinum
  • Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosum

SECONDARY VASCULITIS

• Hypersensitivity Vasculitis
• Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Angiitis
• Vasculitis Secondary to Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia
• Vasculitis Secondary to Rheumatic Diseases
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
  • Other Rheumatic Diseases
• Vasculitis Secondary to Other Well-defined Nonrheumatic Conditions
  • Severe bacterial infections
  • Malignancy
  • Sarcoidosis

This list is not necessarily complete.

References:
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE VASCULITIDES Gonzalez-Gay MA - Rheum Dis Clin North Am - 2001 Nov; 27(4); 729-749
An approach to diagnosis and initial management of systemic vasculitis. Roane DW - Am Fam Physician - 1-Oct-1999; 60(5): 1421-30
VASCULITIS A Collection of Pearls and Myths Stone JH - Rheum Dis Clin North Am - 2001 Nov; 27(4); 677-728